


The World That Is

by TheBuggu



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers AU - Fandom, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalyptic Setting, Characters have PTSD, Depiction of a suicide, Depiction of humans being killed, Explicit Language, Extreme Depictions of Death and Violence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Tags will be updated as chapters are posted!, Transformers AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 11:04:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6655432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBuggu/pseuds/TheBuggu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the year 1984, the Decepticons came into contact with the planet Earth. The Autobots...never arrived.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everybody Wants to Rule the World

**Author's Note:**

> Aww geeze! I can't believe I'm posting this. Let me first start with my Inspiration. Years ago, I read an amazing fic called Contra Mundum on FF.NET [Please read it if you haven't!] and it...kind of died. Sadly. Ever since, I've been thinking about my own version Decepticons invading the Earth and turning it into hell. So...This is a fic I've been mulling over for a few years and it just kept bugging me. So!!! Here it is.
> 
> I'm going to do weekly updates for now, because I may or may not have been writing it the last few days and now have at least 15k words jotted down >w>
> 
> WELP. Thank you for clicking on this story and giving it a chance! I hope it doesn't disappoint you!

> **Everybody Wants to Rule the World: Tears for Fears -- 1985**

 

Kelley never thought the sight of an ill attempt at growing food could move her to tears, but with the stress of her lifestyle, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. She wiped at the sweat gathering along her brow and kneeled before the disease stricken potato plant, lips pulling into a knowing frown. Brown spots were scattered on the leaves and it was wilting weakly. She sniffled in frustration as she leaned forward and dug her fingers into the dirt gathered at the plant's stalk. 

"Damn it!" she cursed when her fears had been realized. 

The potatoes were about the size of her fists, but they were covered in mold and black disease-stricken blotches. She pulled one free from the dying roots and threw it in frustration. There was enough food to live off for a couple weeks, but the potatoes were meant to be a new food source. They were easy to grow--at least that's what she thought; leave it to her to get a bunch killed--and they looked inconspicuous. She couldn't rely on growing plants that could expose her. 

Maybe she hadn't paid enough attention to her parents when they were showing her how to plant the seeds or maybe it hadn't gotten enough water. She wanted to just lay on the ground in defeat, giving up just as the potato plant in front of her did. What was the point in struggling to survive anyway? It was mess up after mess up with any attempt she made these days, ever since she barely escaped Hollinston--

A loud, distinct set out footsteps in the distance caught her attention and she froze, like a deer caught in the headlights. She scrambled under cover: a large dome of grass formed by a tree that had fallen over years prior. The roots had continued growing and pulled the dirt and grass into a curved angle. It was a tight squeeze, but Kelley cared more about living than comfort at the moment. She laid on her side, hugging her knees into her chest as she helplessly watched the forest floor from her hiding spot. 

The footsteps were getting closer and closer.

Her arms were shaking uncontrollably. She struggled to hold her breath. 

All too quickly, a large metal foot stomped on ground, smooshing her potato plant into the dirt. 

 _Well, rest in piece you sick plant_ ,  Kelley thought with a grimace. 

"Runabout, I wanna crush this fleshie!" the voice above her boomed in the air.

Kelley swallowed anxiously and scooted back, pressing her sweat soaked back into the cool, but dry dirt. Pieces of twigs and roots were pressing uncomfortably against her spine, but she preferred that compared to being stepped on. Or shot at. Or squished like a bug. 

"You mean, IF there's a fleshie," another voice replied as more footsteps caught up. 

She watched the two metal beings as they lumbered around, examining the surroundings with uninterested postures.

For over nine years, it was like this. Hiding from them. Living in fear like a small roach under furniture. Scavenging for crumbs to live off of. Watching others die like pests when their nest was found. 

"I'm soooo bored," one of them complained, like a six-year-old child. "We haven't had any fun since we found that one hiding place a while back."

Kelley frowned and bowed her head. Hollinston. The monsters were talking about Hollinston. It had been over a year since the settlement was discovered and ambushed by the robotic invaders--perhaps ever longer since time was difficult to keep track of these days--but the destruction was fresh in her mind still. All the screaming. All the crying of the children. 

She stifled a quivering gasp prematurely, despite the grief that threatened to escape. She couldn't let them hear her. 

"I agree, Runamuck. We've picked off a few stragglers since then. But the more the merrier, right?" the second one replied. 

Kelley had to find a way back to her small stash nearby. She knew the forest by heart and knew where her closest small deposit of weapons was kept hidden. Weapons she picked up from the remains of Hollinston...

The main obstacle was Tweedledee and Tweedledum--honestly, how were names like Runamuck and Runabout any better? She just had to sneak past them quietly.

 _Living is a good motivation as any_ , she thought anxiously.  _Just need to wait till they move._

"Yeah, that was slaggin' fun," Run...amuck said as they took a few more steps. 

From their backs, it wasn't easy to tell the two giant robots apart, but when they occasionally turned to sweep their menacing visors around them, Kelley noticed one, Runamuck, was predominantly white and blocky. The other mech, Runabout, was just as blocky but had a dark shade of black paint instead. However, both had red visors and a bright purple emblem squared center on that chest.

She had seen that symbol so many times: seeing her neighborhood ransacked and destroyed by giant invaders, watching her parents get killed, losing the closest thing she had to a home since the mechanized apocalypse began. It represented the day Earth went to hell on the summer of 1984 and every person had an identical, rationalized fear of what it meant.

The sticks were starting to dig into her back, but she ignored it. She could survive a stick poking her, she couldn't survive the giant robots killing her.

Kelley never been close to any of them before. She could reach out and poke at the robot's ankle if she wanted to, but living sounded much more promising in her opinion. 

 _Please move, please move, please move!_   She begged silently.  _And not in my direction._  

As if something heard her desperate prayer, the two Decepticons stalked forward, putting several feet between them and Kelley in her hiding hole. 

Did she dare try to sneak out yet? Would it be better to wait? Her heart was pounding against her chest. How did they not hear it? Didn't robots have more sensitive hearing? Could they scan and pick up her body signature? A part of Kelley knew that wasn't the case or else she would have been found and killed as soon as she hid, but every single worst case scenario sped through her mind. Her brain was so certain this would be the day she'd die.

"Come on out, you organic pest," Runabout said in a mockingly sweet tone and aimed the blaster on his right arm around. "We ain't gonna hurt ya. Well, I ain't. I like watching."

"Yeah! I do all the fun stuff! I promise not to crush you right away," Runamuck added with a deep cackle. "I'll let you have a head start!" 

Kelley licked her lips nervously and curled up even tighter. 

She decided to wait and let them put more distance from her. They were expecting her to freak out and make the wrong choice in fear. It was the same tactic used when the pair attacked Hollinston.

The passing time was the longest set of minutes she ever had to wait through. 

But they kept moving and partially disappeared between a few trees. 

She wasn't ready to move, but the unexpected sound of gunfire and a rocket launcher caught her attention. The ground shook as energy blasts impacted it. They were going to destroy the forest to push her out into the open and/or kill her. 

Kelley scrambled out of her hiding place, but never took her eyes off the giant forms ahead of her. She crawled out into the open, clawed fingers into the dirt, and took off running in the opposite direction the instant she stood up. She could hear laughter and gunfire echoing behind her. It was the same routine from the settlement. 

"Don't see me, don't see me," Kelley gasped between breaths as she darted as quickly as her legs would take her. 

She almost felt like her thirteen year old self again, running and crying as her parents tugged her to safety while the big, scary metal giants shot laser beams all around them. But compared to nine years ago, Kelley was smarter now. She was still just as scared, but the fear pushed her into surviving now. She was older. And it helped that she had some guns.

The closest weapon cache was nearly several hundred feet away, hidden inside a trunk by the local stream. She was gasping hard and heavy, like a fish dragged out of water, but desperation was looming overhead. 

She dared to take a glance over her shoulder, afraid that they would immediately be chasing her like in a horror movie. Luck seemed to be on her side though as smoke filled the portion of the woods away from her and the weapon fire didn't seem to be in pursuit yet. But, that didn't bring her any closer to being free from detection. 

A few minutes passed until she joined up with the riverbank; she could run alongside it with her eyes closed out of familiarity. She'd see the log soon. 

 _Just...have...to...keep running!_   Kelley thought, heart pounding and hair flying behind her. 

Finally...Finally! The rotted tree trunk was in view. That beautiful, moss covered, decayed tree trunk. She wasn't too far now. Maybe fifty feet, give or take. 

But when a stray energy burst flew by her right flank, Kelley screamed and stumbled to the left. She yelped and fell down in a clumsy roll. She looked behind her and made a terrified whimper at seeing Runamuck's form on the distant horizon. 

"No, no, no, no!" she cried when she realized the tree trunk--her weapons--was the Decepticon's target. She crawled forward to the black pit where the stash had just stood at and shook her head in disbelief. 

They knew...They knew she was staying here. Struggling to survive. And now they were toying with her.

Catching her breath, she watched the black smoke dancing from the ruins of her stock. With a growl, she hissed out a bitter, "Damn it!" and scrambled back on her feet. 

"Bastard!" Kelley yelled over her shoulder and took off again, running past the remains of the stump. Her body was already burning from the strain of her life or death running, but she pushed past it. 

Not-so-far behind her, she heard more of the sinister laughing and gunshots firing into the air, a show that the Decepticon was enjoying it too much. 

Kelley took a sudden right and darted in between several broken logs. Her jacket kept snagging into the branches, adding to her aggravation. She tugged on the very torn leather thing as she ran, wincing as her face was cut by a thorny patch.

 _Plan B, plan B_ , Kelley's mind screamed as she dashed into a familiar clearing and glanced up. Before she knew it, the signal rope came into view and she grabbed it. The Decepticon wouldn't know what hit him. 

Kelley dug her fingers into the military-grade, knotted fiber as it swung her. It carried her several feet, just over a large patch of fake grass, but she misjudged her landing and fell onto the other side in another roll. The impact cut through her jeans and left her knees in a bloody mess. She struggled to sit up, but when the same deep thumps of metal footsteps followed, she scooted back desperately. 

Runamuck was quick and ran through the trees just as quickly as she had. 

"End of the line, human," the Decepticon murmured. He had no face, that Kelley could see at least, by the way his visor glowed. He was enjoying everything. The difference in their sizes; the power he thought he had over her. 

"P-please don't kill me," Kelley begged, still scooting back. Her eyes darted to the patch directly at his metal feet, before she gave him a pleading stare. "I'm just one human..."

"You fleshies are always good for a laugh," Runamuck said, voice turning darker. "You gave me a chase, I admit that. But your weapons gave ya away. We picked up the metal on our scanner, genius." 

Kelley winced as he took aim at her with his canon. 

"I hope you scream as loud as the others," he added and took a step forward as he charged his weapon. 

In a flash, the Decepticon put his foot on the tarp and fell through the trap hole with a startled howl.

"You stupid fleshie!" Runamuck's yell echoed through the pit. 

She swallowed and inched towards the deep pit, staring down at the crevice with an angry Decepticon. He aimed his canon up at her again, but paused with a distinct, flickering glow caught his attention. He froze after realizing he was sitting on several layers of explosives and slowly, slowly, slowly lifted his head back up to stare at her.

Kelley took her time getting back on her feet and glared down at the trapped Decepticon. She reached under her jacket and pulled out a single grenade, eyeing it with a sullen expression. Her eyes flicked from the grenade to the pit and she reached for its pin ring. 

"I hope you scream as loud as the others," she mimicked and pulled the pin free. She dropped the grenade and watched for a few seconds and glared. 

It was...satisfying watching the large mech freak out try to claw his way to freedom, but she didn't stick around for long. She ran back several feet and took more steps just to be sure as a rippling explosion rang through the air. The ground vibrated violently, with a powerful force just strong enough to trip Kelley's posture. 

Still breathing heavily to make up for the exertion, she inched back towards the pit and gazed inside. When the smoke billowed out, she finally got a glimpse of the pit's victim. Runamuck's white armor was now a scorched black and he lay motionless in the bottom. And lay in pieces. 

She wanted to scream and holler over her impractical victory, but her voice was too hoarse and her body was beginning to feel exhausted. 

"Runamuck?!" 

Kelley's head shot up at the sound of the other Decepticon finally catching up to her and she quickly stood up in alert. She instantly turned tail and ran, knowing she needed to keep moving. When she dared to look back again, she spotted Runabout appear through the forest lining and approaching the hole.

When he released a horrified cry for his teammate's name, Kelley's paced quickened. The race became a blur as escaping became her one goal for the day. 

She dove into opening of a tunnel on the ground after a few minutes. An opening hidden under giant tree roots, invisible to the giant robot in pursuit. And too small for them to fit into either.

Without a moment to spare, she ran through the dirt tunnel and didn't stop once. It was dark, but she had the path memorized and she was at least twenty feet underground. Did she truly feel safe? Not in these times, but she...made it. She hadn't died.

Her legs were jelly by the time she reached the end and arrived into the hidden cavern. Kelley's progress came to a halt as she was stalled into a weak crawling and shifted past the small pool close by her makeshift cot. Its water source came from a tiny river leaking in from the cavern wall; at the very least it was fresh water. 

It was a struggle, with her aching muscles, bleeding knees and cheek, but she pulled herself up onto the cot and moaned.

"Damn potatoes," she whispered as the dull sensation of heavy eyelids overtook her.


	2. Maniac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's a maniac, maniac on the floor. And she's dancing like she's never danced before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Time for the next chapter o/ I hope you all enjoy and thanks for giving the fic a chance again! ;D

 

>   **Chapter Two: Maniac: Michael Sembello -- 1983**

 

Kelley didn't leave her cave the next day as the fear of the deadly encounter haunted her dreams. She simply stayed hidden in her cave and watched the sunlight come and go through the cracks in her cave's wall. 

She woke up with a chilly sweat and shivering on the following morning, clutching the stupid itchy blanket she scavenged from the ruins of Hollinston. She forced herself to sit up and climb off the cot. Her knees buckled for several moments as she steadied herself and she made shaky steps towards the small pool of water. 

The young woman sank down on her knees and cupped her hands together, bringing up a small portion of water to drink. She took several, greedy drinks and several handfuls of the precious liquid and coughing and gasping afterwards. The scrapes on her knees were beginning to scab over--she did her best to scrub and keep the new wounds clean with plain water--but were still very sore. 

While moping around, she came to the conclusion that she would have to go back to Hollinston soon--while the sun was up. All of her explosives had been used up by killing Runamuck, though she had little choice. She knew where the main stock for the settlement's ammunition had been kept and she knew few humans ever went through the city and got out alive because of the destruction duo. It was a risky decision, but Kelley felt like she had a better chance now with the aforementioned 'duo' being reduced to an 'uno'.

Her body was sore and still angry at her, but she pretended it was just her parents nagging her instead. Somehow, thinking of them made the stiffness more bearable. 

When she got through the dark tunnel again, she observed the morning sky. An indication of sunrise finishing up.

Another day in living through the robot apocalypse. 

Her secluded forest was on the border of Hollinston; she knew it would have been smarter to leave and get as far away from the forsaken place as possible, but she just...couldn't. It had been her home for nearly six years, since her parents had died. She had nothing left.

Before the Hollinston attack, word of other settlements scattered throughout the country spread and some were debating leaving. Those who did survive the assault did just that without another thought. There had been a few, who like Kelley, stayed close by the city to scavenge for supplies. They weren't as lucky as her. 

Nearly five hundred people were living in Hollinston when Kelley and her parents came for shelter. Now...she was one human living all alone. 

The most important thing about Hollinston and Runamuck and Runabout using it as their turf, their trophy, is that they did not rely on the drones most other cities invaded did. Throughout the year of sneaking in and out, Kelley never saw any of the drones surveying the city. The drones were...simplistic in design compared to the other Decepticons she saw. They were identical to one another, did not speak, and lacked any sentience from what Runamuck or Runabout would comment on them as she snuck through the city. 

As she lingered underneath the shelter the thick roots shielding the entrance of the tunnel, she frowned at hearing the distant sound of gunfire. Excessive amounts. Runabout was probably searching for her relentlessly.

_He sounds pissed off_ , Kelley thought with a frown.  _He could be trouble._ The Decepticon could very well destroy the entire forest at this rate. It bothered Kelley how...angry the robot was. They were all cruel and heartless. They didn't care about each other as friends, did they? So why did it bother him so much that the robot was dead? Couldn't they just rebuild themselves? Kelley really wished that wasn't the case. 

With a hopeful sense that Runabout would stay distracted in the forest, giving her enough time to scrounge for supplies, Kelley took off at a brisk pace. She remained vigilant and threw suspicious stares back over her shoulder again and again.

A sad wave of nostalgia smacked against her as she spotted the outer limits of the city. Memories of growing up in Hollinston flooded back to her as she stepped closer and closer, walking around large pieces of rubble and concrete littering the road. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she slipped into the city, ducking through the closest building. 

As she traveled through ruin and rubble, she looked for the red building that everyone who had lived in Hollinston knew about, located on the town's outskirt. It was much of a building now though and was more a red wall than anything, but Kelley crept towards it just as determined. She approached the exposed side of building and kneeled down to dig through the rubble. She just needed to get all the mess off of it--There! She grabbed at the squared piece of rock and pulled it up by its string. 

Kelley hesitated at the darkness that welcomed her, fidgeting slightly, but eventually sat down on her knees. Holding the end of the string that looped back under the square-cut rock, she pulled it after her as she dropped down into the sewers. Nearly a year ago, the lights had been working; there were guards stationed in the red building when it was still a building. There had been people all throughout the city. 

Now...It was barren. Lifeless. 

She didn't have to worry about any mess down in the sewer either, they had long since dried out and the citizens had made sure to block all the openings along the curbs to prevent rainfall from leaking down. The sewers were the only reliable means of getting around through Hollinston. The Decepticons were too big to fit and they couldn't see a human running for their life inside them. 

Kelley's hands were shaking as she leaned against the wall, following its trail through the sewers. She hated the dark. Hated it with a passion. It was creepy and terrifying stumbling around like a blind person and she'd never travel in darkness if the circumstances were different. 

She sighed in relief after several minutes passed and her hand brushed into a metal ladder. She scrambled up the ladder, nearly slipping on the bottom rung, and climbed up to the cracks of light filtering through the surface above.

When Kelley reached the top, she pushed the slab of rock concealing the entrance up and poked her head out to double check. The underground weapon's bunker was still in one piece thankfully, but the pickings were slim. She climbed out of the sewer opening--dropping her backpack over shoulder--and carefully walked forward. There was a few Winchester 1300 shotguns left on the shelf with two small boxes of shells. Kelley grabbed one of the guns, pulled it closer to examine the barrel and the pump. 

It was modded to have an extra muzzle, most likely to fire another burst of rounds. She grabbed all the ammo she could and dumped it into her backpack before sliding the shotgun into the hand-sewn holster on the outside of the ragged backpack. Kelley spotted a Ruger Mini-14 peeking out from a shelf that was leaning awkwardly against the wall. A handful of ammo was scattered on the shelf as well as a few spilled boxes on the floor. 

With her best estimate it was about a hundred pieces of 5.56 mm ammunition--better than nothing. 

She also found a few M67 grenades and one pineapple grenade and carefully stored them in the underlined pockets of her coat. 

After Kelley got the newly acquired riffle settled with the other weapon, she jostled her backpack over her shoulders again. She looked around the small bunker once more and came to a halt. She rushed to the back when she spotted an outline of light--and a door--partially exposed from more shelves having fallen out of place. Her eyes narrowed as she shoved the metal shelving out of the way.

"How long has that been there?" Kelley asked in disbelief as she studied the newly discovered door.

The door was missing a door knob--maybe it had rusted and fallen out of socket--so she simply gave the door a push. Her mouth dropped and remained hanging open from the sheer surprise. She gazed up at the wall and she could feel her eyes bulging at the sight. Several seconds passed before a soft laugh oozed free from Kelley's mouth.

"Oh...oh you beauty..." Kelley whispered and stepped forward. She lifted her hand up and ghosted a touch along the thick barrel. 

This--this beautiful rocket launcher--was just the thing she needed to even the playing field with Runabout. She just needed a plan to lure the Decepticon into town. 

Grunting, Kelley lowered the large Raytheon down and hoisted it's thick strap over her shoulder. It was...heavy. She loaded two missiles into her bag; sadly they were the only two she could find. She could always use more ammunition, but two missiles were much better than none for the new toy. 

She shuffled her way to the ladder at the far corner and tightened her fingers around the metal bar. 

She already had her plan for the day laid out: scavenge for food and ammo, then run like hell back to her hide out. But now, things were different. She could have a chance against the other Decepticon with her new friend. Kelley waited, to gather her confidence, and slowly ascended up the ladder instead of fleeing back into the sewer. 

The weapon's bunker was connected to a series of elevated buildings that ran all throughout the city by means of an overpass sidewalk. They were meant to let the assigned guards travel back and forth through Hollinston and keep an eye on the streets below. But now they were only filled with ruins.

As Kelley traveled the abandoned walkways, she took several glances down at the street below. Many of the buildings had been demolished. Buildings she often entered while living there with the other survivors. 

Eventually, she came to a halt when she spotted an opened and exposed plaza and paused. This was the perfect vantage place. She dropped on her knees and got to work; she loaded one missile into the rocket launcher first in preparation. Then she lifted the cannon onto her shoulder and aimed it testingly. Clayton and Jeremy had never taught her how to use one, but now wasn't the time to second guess. 

It seemed simple enough, line up the scoop with the target and press the trigger. 

She took a deep breath as she continued to get use to the new weight on her shoulder and staring through the strange scope. 

"Alright...I can do this," she mumbled as she gently placed the rocket launcher at her side.

Kelley then focused on loading her other new weapons. She started with the magazine clip for the Ruger, knowing it would take longer to get loaded properly and silently pushed the bullets into the clip. All together, she managed to grab two magazine clips for the riffle, including the one now loaded into the weapon. After checking and double checking the riffle, she placed it down as well in a satisfied motion. 

The Winchester took eight shells to be fully loaded; she hoped that with the extra mod it had attached, the bullets HURT. 

"Now, the waiting game," Kelley muttered and moved her hand to the chest pocket of her old coat.

She reached inside and pulled out the single content inside: a worn photograph. The corners were burnt and ragged. In the picture, a happy couple was hugging a young twelve-year-old girl. The mom was beautiful, a pearly white smile, lively brown eyes and lovely bronze skin. The dad was about as average looking as any other man, but handsome in his own right. Paler skin, freckles on his face, and green eyes as bright as the leaves on a tree. 

Kelley used to have a clear image of what they looked like, but time was making her mind foggy. The picture of her vacation with her parents exactly one year before the invasion began was all she had to remember them. 

She blinked away a few tears and quickly stored the picture back in her pocket. She wiped at her eyes, frowning.

_No tears,_ Kelley thought silently.  _No crying._

She pulled her backpack closer and shoved her arm inside, feeling around inside the darkness. After a few seconds, she pulled out a small, red flare gun and large pair of earmuffs. 

She loaded the flare gun and quickly slipped the earmuffs over her head. She aimed the tiny gun out into the open, aiming just above the plaza below and fired. 

 

* * *

 

_"Kelley?" Clayton walked up behind as she examined the wooden caricature._

_"I missed," the sixteen-year-old girl complained quietly. "This is stupid."_

_Clayton simply gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You didn't hit inside the line, true, but you've been hitting the wood. There's only a foot of allowance on the border."_

_Kelley sniffed and crossed her arms, looking extremely irritated. "Why can't I hit it better?"_

_Clayton rested his hands on his hips as he peered down at the young teen. "Because you're letting your anger cloud your judgment, kid."_

_"I'm not mad!" Kelley snapped, bottom lip trembling._

_"I ain't sayin' you don't have a right to be mad," the ex-soldier explained, never breaking eye contact with her. "But your parents wouldn't want--"_

_"My parents are dead!" Kelley cried out, tears quickly dropping from her eyes. "Those stupid robots killed them!"_

_Clayton didn't speak for a few moments. His expression softened and he heaved a heavy sigh, shoulders drooping. "Kelley. What do you see?" he asked her and gestured to entire training room._

_Kelley wiped her eyes and followed his hands, glancing to the other children watching from the sidelines, many looking confused and upset by her outburst. She bit a sob back and lowered her head, eyeing the ground with a guilty expression. "I know...I'm not the only one who lost my parents."_

_We all lost people close to us, kid. But, that doesn't make my suffering or your suffering any less important. We just gotta learn how to channel it and learn how to take care of ourselves and each other. No one can survive this hell on their on. Now's the time we depend of people more than ever."_

_Clayton placed his hand on Kelley's shoulder again and guided her back to the end of the firing range. "Imagine it's him standing there in front you. Don't be afraid of him. NEVER let them see your fear, alright? Take a shot while you can."_

_Kelley glanced from the small pistol in her hands to the target. She closed her eyes for a second, pulled her earmuffs back over her ears, and swallowed. She remembered those evil, red eyes, the maniacal laughter, and the looming form standing over the corpses of her parents. She quickly snapped her eyes open, aimed, and pulled the trigger._

 

* * *

 

Kelley shook her head, snapping out of her daze, and watched as the long red tail flew over to the plaza and exploded over the vacant streets. 

For good measure, she fired another flare immediately after the first flare died.


	3. Hit Me With Your Best Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why don't you hit me with your best shot? Hit me with your best shot. Fire away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From tfwiki:
> 
> *Meta-cycle: 13 months.  
> *Decivorn: 8.3 years.
> 
> Gasp! Is that a plot slowing building? Who knows???
> 
> Also, surprise double chapter update!
> 
> EDIT: Fixed the weird formatting.

> **Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Pat Benatar -- 1980**

   
 

"This planet is slaggin' annoying."

"I don't think it's so bad."

"Can it, you annoying saucer."

"Focus, team! This was the closest distress signal the ship picked up. According to the scanners, one's been going on for nearly a decivorn, while a secondary one has been activated for a meta-cycle."

"Why two signals?"

"Uncertain. Multiple needs. Many signals similarly broadcasted. Uncertain." 

"Ugh, why'd we bring this freak again?"

There was a pause as a distant red light...exploded in the air. It was followed by another flare signal. 

"I think we arrived just in time. Let's move out, we'll diverge to the Triangle Position!" 

 

* * *

 

Kelley had been sitting in her hide out for several hours--considering how high the sun was in the sky now. It was strange that there was no movement the entire time, but she couldn't give up.

The silence was slowly wearing her down though, she felt. She was sore from sitting in such a stiff position, but she never looked away from the scope. 

Eventually, she swore she heard the sound of distant footsteps and perked up. 

Footsteps? As in, multiples. 

Through the scope, the anxiousness was realized when multiple unfamiliar Decepticons stepped into the plaza. There was several of them--she counted three...four...five, six! Six new ones? Her arms were trembling. This...this wasn't what she had planned on. 

She had to make a choice then and there: make a suicidal move and go through with her plan or try to escape and risk being killed either way. 

She simmered in anger. It was just like her parents dying and Hollinston being attacked. Just when the finish line seemed within reach, the damn Decepticons yanked the carpet to trip her and further ruin her life. Kelley could feel her nostrils flaring in rage and her hands were shaking. 

She was tired...Tired of living day to day, unsure if she'd see tomorrow.

With a determined huff of air, she straightened the missile on her back and took better aim through the rocket launcher's scope. 

"Hit me with your best shot," she whispered in a shaking tone and pulled the trigger. 

Even with the padded earmuffs, the outburst of sound rang in her ears. She didn't hesitate in lowering the rocket launcher and reloading it, but kept her eyes on the Decepticons. The missile didn't hit them--damn--but it sent them scrambling apart. Kelley quickly aimed again and watched for several seconds, trying to pick the best target.

Eventually, she settled for a red one and fired her last missile. 

She took advantage of the confusion and grabbed the riffle. She leaned out the window and took aim. The gun gave a strange kickback as she fired, but Kelley held it firm and continued shooting at any and every Decepticon she could spot. 

Things...were getting messy, Kelley noticed as the Decepticons were coming closer and closer, despite the gunfire. She fumbled for the grenades she picked up earlier and chucked the pineapple grenade after pulling its pin. The explosion caught one of them off guard--a red and white one--and they tripped back. 

Soon, Kelley realized she had used up the other two grenades as well she instinctively reached for another. 

It was time to move. She sloppily shoved the still loaded riffle into the holster again and grabbed her shotgun. 

The missile launcher was forgotten as she stood up and ran to opposite end of the walkway. 

The second she raced into the next building, the walkway was hit with a flurry of blasts and crumbled into pieces in mere seconds.

Oh my god. I'm going to die!  Kelley's thoughts mimicked her heartbeat: fast, sporadic, nervous, frightened. 

She heard yelling and it was getting closer. 

Without a second thought, she pumped the shotgun and clutched it against her chest. 

There was a flash directly in front of her and a smaller, red Decepticon appeared in front of her--as if warping in from thin air.

"Cliffjumper here! Found the thing attacking us!" the Decepticon said into his communication system. He was only about double Kelley's height and not quite intimidating as other Decepticons she'd seen. 

Kelley flinched back and aimed up at the large robot with her gun. 

She didn't given the Decepticon another chance to speak and unloaded several shots into his knee joints and chest. When he yelped in surprise and pulled away with a hiss, she darted around the tall mech and ran for dear life. 

They must have come to avenge Runamuck. 

Well, they could try. Kelley didn't plan on just handing her life over today. 

Behind her, she heard the sound of footsteps following her in pursuit. 

"Try harder, Decepticon!" she yelled over her shoulder. 

As she ran through another flat room of the building connected through the walkway, she saw a...It couldn't be. A flying...saucer was flying along the outside of the building and following her as well. How many of these robotic menaces were here?! 

Kelley quickly veered to her left and shoved the fire exit door open. There was a few flights of stairs, so she jumped onto the metal rung and darted down. The slight rust on the metal stairway did worry her slightly, but she didn't have time to think it over for long.

Her breath was getting heavy again; it was the most running she had ever done in most of her life. 

She just had to get back into one of the disguised manhole entrances. 

Her feet hurt. Her arms ached. Her body was screaming. But the will to survive made her press on. When the metal above her creaked, she looked up with a panic-stricken expression. The red one she had shot was catching up already.

She had only one flight between her and the ground, so she leaned over the metal bar and dropped down the remainder of the way. Kelley landed with a loud thump and the pressure shocked her ankles, crying out as she continued on with a tottering dash. The Decepticon had mimicked her and jumped down as well; he landed with a much more forceful drop.

Kelley winced and continued bolting down the street. 

She heard more yelling. More stomping footsteps.   

When a red, blue, and white tank pulled out from one of the street corners directly in front of her and transformed, Kelley skidded to a momentary pause before fleeing in another direction. 

But her reaction was too delayed and a pair of dark hands fell down on her. 

Kelley gasped as she ran into large robotic fingers, roughly landing on the cement with a ragged 'oomph!' 

Though it was muffled, she heard a distinct, "Caught the li'l bugger!" that had a strange southern drawl to it. 

"What the slag was that?!" 

"It shot me!" 

"It looked kind of frightened..."

Kelley closed her eyes as her body broke into several, panicking shivers. A lump was forming in her throat. All the horrible ways the Decepticons could--would--torture her raced through her mind as she froze up in the trap. Would they start with pulling her limbs apart? Or crush her legs so she couldn't run? 

Tears were collecting in her eyes as a result of the fear, so she did the only reasonable thing one could do when a giant robot was about to crush them.

She maneuvered the barrel of her shotgun up and fired several rounds into her metallic prison. 

The Decepticon made a startled gasp just as the other had in reaction and jerked back. Sunlight flooded her eyesight again and she was surrounded by seven Decepticons; the cloaker had thrown her off. Runamuck and Runabout never displayed an ability like that.  What abilities did these robots have?

The red one standing right behind her, shaking his hands and hissing, was the one she initially shot at with her rocket launcher—Kelley realized.

She then swallowed and didn't dare move.

They were watching her with disgusted and confused expressions.  The tension in the air made her wonder why she was still alive.

One stepped closer--the one that changed from the tank--and she bolted up and started running again. The Decepticons scrambled after her. She couldn't understand what they were accomplishing this way? Were they so bored that they needed a good game of 'cat and mouse'? 

A hand came down at her and managed to snag her backpack. Kelley struggled to escape as red fingers wrapped around her and pinned her arms at her side. She watched with terror as her shotgun was dropped to the ground, clattering against the old concrete. She was lifted into the air, making her stomach ball up nauseatingly from the sudden rush. 

"Got it," the Decepticon holding her said, with an annoyed tone. He was probably considering squeezing the life out of her body.

"I say we kill the thing right here and now!" an aggressive voice snapped. 

"Calm down, Kick-Off!" an authoritative sounding Decepticon quickly replied. "Good job catching it, Crosscut."

Suddenly, the same red, white, and blue colored mech stepped into view as Kelley was lifted even higher in the air. She glared at the Decepticon for a split-second before closing her eyes again. The height was making her palms sweat and she was afraid of being dropped at any second. 

"Why did you attack us, organic?" he demanded. 

"Is this a joke?" Kelley muttered quietly, rolling her eyes under her eyelids. 

"Answer the question."

"Just...kill me," she snapped and squirmed against the robotic hand. 

"Why would we do that?" a softer voice questioned. 

"Enough with the games, I can make it talk!" the same aggressive voice spoke up again and Kelley found herself face to face with the barrel end of a charging weapon. 

"Why did you attack our planet?!" Kelley shot back and was surprised at how off-guard the question made the Deceptions look. "You expect humans to just accept you destroying our cities and our families?"

Their mouths collectively hanged open, so she kept pressing her luck.  Small talk was a good weapon to make distractions.

"You're just mad because you all were dumb enough to fall for a trap!" she hissed, baring her teeth and kicking her legs back and forth violently. "I'll never tell you where other humans are hiding, you stupid rust can Decepticons!" 

"We ain't no fraggin' Decepticons!" the red one with the stereotypical accent stated. 

"Yeah, right!" Kelley said sarcastically. 

"We're not Decepticons," the tank robot explained. "We're here to fix the problem."

"I don't believe you," Kelley replied bitterly and shifted her glare to the ground.

The tank sighed and pinched at the bridge above their nose. "Let the creature down, Crosscut," he quietly ordered. 

Kelley winced and quickly expected to fall to the ground. She wanted to curl up as she dreaded being released by the Decepticon holding her. But she found her feet touching the ground again. And she wasn't laying on the ground injured.

Her legs didn't feel so strong anymore. She stumbled back and fell on her rear, arms shaking. In disbelief. How was she still alive? 

White feet quickly approached her and another Decepticon was leaning over her and staring down at her quizzically. His chest was white, arms and legs were a dull silver, and his face was a strange tomato shade of red. A bright blue light swept out from the robot's eyes and ran up and down her body several times before it faded away. "Creature: Organic. Beating pulse. Chemical signature. Panic. Reckless," he muttered more to himself than anyone else. 

"I ain't reckless," the one called 'Kick-Off' snarled. 

Kelley quickly scooted even further away and batted at the strange mech's fingers when he reached out to poke her. Like a child intrigued with a bug it found. "Don't touch me!" 

"Rest-Q won't hurt you!" Crosscut, her momentary captor, explained in a strangely friendly voice. "He's a great medic." 

"Yeah, he just talks like a fritzing database," a Decepticon that had blended into the background before now finally spoke up.

"Alright, let's try this again!" the tank robot spoke up. "As I stated, we are not Decepticons. Me and my teammates are known as Autobots. We've come to save your planet," he explained as he kneeled forward and leaned closer to Kelley. "We detected several distressed signals on your planet as we breached the atmosphere, yours included."

"But...I didn't send..." Kelley's eyes drifted back and forth in consideration. "Ah. Right." Hollinston had sent one on the day Runamuck and Runabout had attacked. A last desperate plea for help. 

"Introductions," he murmured quietly and then snapped his fingers. "Yes, right. My name is Roadfire. I'm the leader of this mission. That's Rest-Q, team medic. Crosscut is standing beside him--"

"And the one who grabbed me," Kelley muttered as she rubbed her hands together and scowled. 

"Sorry?" the 'Not-Decepticon' offered with a confused shrug. 

"--this is Ironhide," Roadfire explained, gesturing to red, Texan accent robot.

"And ya shot my servos," Ironhide frowned. "Lucky fer me those teeny organic weapons don't hurt us too well. Stung a bit though!"

"The minibot over there is Cliffjumper," Roadfire continued on, nodding to the same shorter mech that had chased her through the building.

"How did he appear out of thin air like that?" Kelley asked, eyes narrowing. "Never seen a 'Con do that..."

"We're not cruddy Decepticons," Cliffjumper, who was sitting on a rusty old car, growled with a surprisingly loud voice for such a short robot.

"Cliffjumper is testing out new electro-disrupter technology," Crosscut answered for him and folded his arms together. 

"Electro-what now?" Kelley balked at the foreign words. 

"Cloak. Invisible. Undetectable. New technology," Rest-Q murmured quietly. He was gazing down at his fingers, fiddling with them. "Don't touch...don't touch..." he whispered and slowly walked away to examine a large patch of grass growing through a crack in the road pavement. 

"Moving on," Roadfire spoke again and nodded to the mech that had voiced his complaint about the medic's strange mannerism. "That's Mudslinger. He's the closest thing to a scout we have for our mission."

"Which is a bolts-for-brains decision, sir!" Mudslinger exclaimed and stomped his foot out of aggravation. "I can fight just as well on the front lines."

"Mudslinger, we've discussed this. Ya scored highest in your training class for scouting. You're amazin' at it!" Ironhide replied back and waved reassuringly at the other mech.

"Later," Roadfire said quietly and glanced at the two. "The...friendly one there is Kick-Off."

"We've met," Kelley muttered, glaring at the weapons on his arms.

Kick-Off scowled and made an irritated noise. 

"Oh, oh! Commander Roadfire, you forgot me! And Kaltor."

Kelley watched as the strangest of the Decepticons...waddled over and stood at Roadfire's heels. His body was a weird green and yellow paint job, his limbs looked extremely blocky and his chest was curved in a strange oval shape. The longer she stared at him, the more she thought the robot's head was shaped like a pudding cup.

"Ah, right. My apologies, Cosmos." Roadfire murmured with a gentle smile and nodded down at the mech that was just as short as Cliffjumper. "This is Cosmos, organic, and he performs the aerial patrols."

"Flying?" Kelley asked, still not trusting any of them. 

"Yes!" the minibot, as Roadfire referred, sounded so...happy and chipper. "Would you like a flight with me? I don't fly fast."

"Do I look like I have a death wish?" Kelley stated and scooted back again.

Cosmos' visor dimmed, as if  he was sad, and nodded in a sympathetic motion. "That is alright! I understand." He paused and glanced down to his chest. A panel popped up, like a chest drawer, and he reached inside. "Ah! This is Kaltor. He is a good little 'bot!" 

In Cosmos' green hand, a tiny little robot sat. It was small, even to Kelley's standards. The tiny thing looked like an action figure little boys enjoyed playing with. It--he--made strange little beeps, words Kelley couldn't understand, and gazed up at her.   
   
As she moved her gaze around, it felt surreal as she took another glimpse at each of the now named robots. After a few moments of silence, she hesitantly got up on her feet again and looked around for her shotgun. They were watching her. She could feel all their stares glued to her. She avoided getting too close as she walked by each pair of giant feet and eyed them wearily. 

It had been a test to see what they'd do. 

She kneeled down, picked up the gun, and slowly tucked it back into the holster on her back. So far, they hadn't moved to stop her. 

"What is your designation?" Roadfire asked from overhead. 

She sighed deeply and turned to face him. "My name? It's...it's Kelley."

"Kelllleeee!" Cosmos said, testing the syllables in her name. 

"So, you aren't Decepticons," she said and turned on her heel to watch Roadfire's expression. "Do you realize how many times that's been used on us? You say a few nice words and try to make friends, then you turn around and shoot all the humans you can when some dumb sap falls for your trick."

The group leader didn't reply, but nodded. 

"Why should I trust you?" she asked. "Any of you?" Kelley threw her arms up and gestured to the gathered group. 

"There is one way at the very least to tell us apart," Roadfire answered and pointed to his chest. "This emblem marks us as an Autobot. You can trust any Cybertronian with the faction sigil."

"If that's true," Kelley began with a whisper and glanced down, "then where have you been? We've been killed off and murdered for almost ten years..."

When no one answered her, she whipped her head up and glared at Roadfire. "Ten years! Where were you when the Decepticons invaded?! O-or six years ago when my parents were killed? Or...or even a year ago when the only home I had..."

None of the so-called 'Autobots' replied and gazed down at her with surprised expression. They obviously hadn't expected the outburst. 

"We're here now," Mudslinger stated quietly. Roadfire sent him a short shake of the head. 

"You're too late!" Kelley cried and turned away. "There's...I don't even know how many humans are left, but we're probably almost extinct. And it's your fault if what you say is true!"

"Actually, Kelley. You might be wrong about that," Roadfire replied and followed after her. In a few steps, he was kneeling in front of her. "Take a look at this map."


	4. The Tide is High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tide is high but I'm holdin' on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, I know! [I promise future chapters will be longer!]
> 
> BUT I need to put a couple trigger warnings for this chapter: Gruesome depictions of humans being murdered and depictions of a PTSD moment! Please read with caution if you don't like that sort of stuff!

> **The Tide is High: Blondie -- 1980**

 

"...What am I looking at?" Kelley asked after staring at the picture floating above Roadfire's hand for many seconds. It was a hologram or something: displaying Earth with tiny flickering dots scattered all throughout the continents.  It was interesting to look at, but Kelley wasn't sure of what to make of it.

"These are distress signals," Roadfire explained. "There's hundreds of thousands of them. We weren't even sure where to begin when we breached the atmosphere."

Kelley silently observed the translucent sphere as it rotated. A spark of hope grew in her heart, but she slowly shifted her gaze back to the tall mech and asked, "But how long have they been active? People have probably died since then."

"The Decepticons don't have the mech power to activate every single signal, even if many were traps put in place by them. Even if they've had more than a decivorn to act. We do have confirmation there are only eleven Decepticons inhabiting the planet and guarding it." 

"What." Kelley's face twisted in to a hybrid of a shock and disbelief. "ELEVEN?! There's only...eleven Decepticons? That has to be a mistake! They've...they've got fortresses all over the countries! And...and look at all the destruction!" she cried, waving her arms around to the crumbling buildings. "There's gotta be hundreds!"

Crosscut stepped forward, folding his arms in front of his chest. "That's a typical Decepticon tactic. They have access to ground bridge and space bridge technology. It can make traveling from one side of a planet to another as simple as that," he explained, snapping his fingers. “So, to the unsuspecting organic, it appears to be a full scale invasion.”

Kick-Off snorted and sat down on the concrete, examining his weapons idly. "It's how they operate. They sweep in before you fleshies know what hit 'cha and they conquer and divide. Most of the occupying forces here are their drones. But considering you all think you're doomed anyway, no wonder your organic little planet is such a mess." 

Kelley whipped her head around and glared. "Don't call me that! I'm not a 'fleshie' or 'organic'. I'm a human!"

Kick-Off looked less than impressed and rolled his head around, as if ignoring her.

"You all say you aren't Decepticons, right?" she continued, still glaring at the black and yellow mech. "Well, if you don't want to upset any other humans, don't refer to us as that! There are other people who aren't as friendly as me."

"Friendly?" Mudslinger asked with a loud laugh. 

"The bigger settlements--the ones with more people. If you walked up to one, imagine more weapons firing at you. And more angrier people using them." 

"Kelley's right," Roadfire stated and crossed his arms behind his back. "If we're going to stop the Decepticons, we have to show the natives we can be trusted." His gaze fell on Kick-Off. "Am I understood?" 

When the mech did not reply, Roadfire sighed and glanced down to Kelley again, "My apologies. As I was saying, there are only eleven Decepticons stationed on your planet. The Commando gestalt, Ruination, and its members: Mega-Octane, Ro-Tor, Armorhide, Rollbar, and Movor--"

"What's a...gestalt?" Kelley spoke up again, feeling confused by all the foreign words. 

"Gestalt: combine. Dangerous. Fuse. Emotions swirling." Rest-Q was still examining the patch of grass as he answered. 

Crosscut walked over to the medic and placed a red hand on his shoulder. "What Rest-Q means is that we are capable of combining and we form a larger Cybertronian. Well, not we as in our group, but several Cybertronians can do it."

"You can join together?" Kelley asked, feeling horrified at thought of 'joining up' with another human. 

"Yes," Roadfire quickly replied, as a brief flicker of annoyance spread across his face--most likely from all the interruptions--and he lowered his arms again. "Moving on, there are a couple Seekers, Nacelle and Red Wing. And, before you ask, Seekers are Cybertronians who specialize in flying. Then there are Runamuck and Runabout, the Battlechargers."

Kelley modestly raised her hand. "Um. Make that ten? Runamuck...Uhh...He won't be a problem anymore." 

"What do you mean?" Roadfire looked genuinely surprised. 

"He's...lying in a pit. In pieces. He's been...uh...'taken care of'?" she answered, using air quotes. When all of the robots in the group still looked confused, she slapped her forehead and groaned. "DEAD! He's dead. Well, as dead as a robot can get, I guess?"

"A Battlecharger is dead?!" Mudslinger cried out and looked...strangely disappointed. 

"Hush," Ironhide quietly scolded. 

The announcement definitely took Roadfire by surprise. He studied the young human for a short time. "Are you certain?" 

"I mean. I can show you the pit where he fell in. The pit with tooooooons of explosives."

"Very well," Roadfire said. "The ring-leader behind all this is a Decepticon named Snaptrap. He was assigned here to guard the spacebridge being built from what our reports say--"

Kelley felt numb as she watched Roadfire's mouth still moving. He was talking but she heard nothing as the name played over and over in her mind. Her hands were shaking.  Her limbs felt heavy as her eyesight turned blurry and out of focus.

There was a voice speaking to her. "Kelley?"

  
_"Kelley!"_

_Tears were falling down her face as she watched her dad sneak to the other side of the road. She heard the imminent, dangerous footsteps getting closer and closer. Her mom crawled over to her side and pulled her into a reassuring hug, kissing her forehead._

_"Honey, look at me. It'll be ok," she whispered. "It's gonna be fine. Just follow Dad."_

_"I don't wanna go, Mom," she said in a shaking voice._

_"We have to, Kelley," her mom told her sweetly, trying to calm her down. "We just have to keep going. Remember? The radio said a convoy would take us to Hollinston."_

_Kelley shook her head. "I'm scared!"_

_"Go. Now." Her mom urged gently and nudged her shoulder. "I'll be right behind you."_

_She sniffled and peeked out from the shelter of the abandoned car. The road looked empty enough. In the distance across the street, she saw her dad waving at her carefully from a large tree log. Frightened, Kelley took a big breath of air and darted out. She kept crouched down as she ran; hoping and praying silently that she wouldn't be seen._

_She was startled when her dad's arms reached out and snagged her shoulders, quickly dragging her into the shelter with him. She had been so scared, that she almost ran by it entirely. Kelley clinged to her dad the way she did when she was a little girl and crying after a nightmare._

_It seemed like an eternity, but she gave a sigh of relief after hearing her mother's familiar running. And quickly enough, she joined them both inside the log._

_"See?" her dad whispered just as quietly and kissed both her mother's cheek and Kelley's forehead. "It's fine. We're close to the pick up point."_

_In an instant, the hopefulness in hearing her father's words was crushed when a loud and deep cackle boomed above them._

_Kelley made a horrified sound and covered her mouth._

_"Hello little fleshies. Why don't you come out now?"_

_She and her parents froze all at once._

_Something was scraping along the outside of the log, just above their heads. "It's not use hiding. I can smell your fear. Come out now or I'll simply blast you and your hidey hole."_

_"Kelley," her mom whispered, so quietly that it sounded like soft of wind. "Stay. Here."_

_"Stay," her dad mirror just as quietly. "Run to the pickup point and find somewhere to hide."_

_"N-no," she breathed out and tried to cling to her mom's arm._

_“We love you,” her dad said softly while her mom squeezed her in a rushed hug._

_She watched helplessly as her parents crawled  out from their makeshift shelter. They didn't give the giant any time to respond and took off running away from Kelley's direction. Stomping erupted, the source was just feet away from her considering how violently the ground shook, and as a ugly flash of neon pink, blue, and purple chased after them._

_Kelley watched as the monster went after her dad first, blinking back tears. Her hand was glued to her mouth as she quivered in fear. The behemoth kicked him into a tree. Kelley couldn't see where he dad had landed after tree trumps and bushes blocked the way, but she watched as the robot stalked over, cackled like a true villain and lifted his foot in the air._

_She squeezed her eyes shut when he slammed it down and nearly threw up when she heard a distinct SQUISH._

_Kelley looked back when she heard her mother screaming. Tears were streaming down her face._

_Her mom was now in the monster's hand, kicking and throwing punches for dear life. Kelley's fingers dug into the dirt and she sobbed loudly as she watched the giant grab her mother's head with two fingers and pull._

_Kelley's cries grew louder as she abandoned her hiding place and ran as fast as her sixteen-year-old legs could carry her, looking desperately for safety._

  
"--lley!" 

Kelley snapped out of her trance and glanced around. 

The robots were all standing closer, eyeing her with concern.  She backed away, breath running ragged. Her heart was violently beating against her chest.

"Uh. I'm fine." Kelley stepped back and clutched her shotgun. "Actually, I need some air." 

She didn't give them time to reply as she turned around and made a beeline for her original target: the man hole.  She heard outbursts behind her, but she ignored them and continued on. 

 

* * *

 

"Uh, Roadfire?" Crosscut piped up, visor bright in concern. "Shouldn't we be stopping the human?" 

Roadfire had watched as said human stumbled away and disappeared into a very small hole. "I think we should just give Kelley space. We need to regroup and plan out our next move."

"I agree," Ironhide said and walked to Roadfire's side. "Ya gotta admit though, this ain't the situation we were expectin'. Ultra Magnus said it'd be a simple recon."

"Yeah," Roadfire muttered. "But...it's really bad. We have to do more than just recon. I think if we can find out how the Decepticons are using this planet to produce energon and stop them, we can seriously turn the tide in our favor." 

"Umm! Hello?" Mudslinger walked forward and crossed his arms. "What good can we do here? We should be on the front lines! I should be on the front lines!"

"The only reason we're even here is so Roadfire can have his little 'teamwork test'," Kick-Off snapped and waved his servos mockingly. 

Roadfire groaned as he rubbed the top half of his faceplate. "I know we're all a little testy after being crammed together in the ship while we traveled here, but we have a new mission. We're going to work as a team and stop the Decepticons on this planet." 

When the other Autobots did not reply, Cosmos' shyly stepped closer. "I think it's a good plan!" 

Roadfire wish he felt as confident as Cosmos sounded. 


	5. Another One Bites The Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another one bites the dust. Hey, I'm gonna get you too. Another one bites the dust!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise early chapter update! Guess who was a dumb dumb and sprained her ankle? Twas I! I got my ankle sprained and it really hurts ;o;
> 
> Warning because someone in this chapter 'Bites the dust'! ;D
> 
> Also, a note about how I'm writing the com. links. 
> 
> "Text text text," robot said -- refers to if a TF is speaking on an open channel. Think of a walkie-talkie! 
> 
> _::Text text text,::_ robot said -- private comm. link that Kelley or any other human cannot hear. This is because I headcanon that this is an internal communication link hardwired into a TF's brain/processor, but it is limited to a close proximity.

>   **Another One Bites The Dust: Queen -- 1980**

   
Kelley shoved all the food she could into her bag, filling out every single available inch of room with canned veggies, a jar of honey, and several protein bars. She didn't trust all of the new mechs, even if they did seem friendly. Stories spread throughout Hollinston while she lived there, some poor idiot fell for the trick and lead a Decepticon right into their settlement.  Nobody survived the aftermath of that mistake.

 _Getting the hell out of dodge_ , she thought anxiously. _I'm not stupid.  Heh. Yeah. Right. 'Autobots.'_

She paused to look around her cavern room and frowned. Just when she was starting to feel at home in the cramped, dark, cool area, she had to leave. Remorsefully, she crammed every piece of ammo into her backpack. She grunted when she lifted the bag up. It had to be at least fifty pounds worth of her supplies. Barely a dent on her hoard. 

"Damn it," she hissed under her tongue and kicked a pebble away. 

She did not like the idea of leaving so many weapons behind, but she could only carry so much with her and she needed to get far away as possible. It was such a frustrating situation. 

She'd come back, Kelley reasoned with herself. The robots would eventually get the message that she wasn't dumb enough to fall for their trick and go human-hunting somewhere else. She had all of caches hidden well, so it wouldn't be easy for a random human to come across either.  Not that many people traveled her way these days.

Internally, she cursed herself when she realized how bad the time frame was. In a few mere hours, the sun would be setting. Traveling at night would be awful--taking into account her fear of the dark--but what other option did she have? And...where would she go?

With a frown, Kelley gave the enclosure one last sweep before turning on her heel and jogging out. 

It had been a while since she had to carry so much heavy and extra baggage, she realized. She grunted as the straps dug into her shoulders and made her back ache and stiff, but she ignored it. 

The sun was still high in the air when she climbed out of the tunnel, but it didn't help her nerves at all.

Kelley turned in the direction opposite of Hollinston's and bolted as fast as she could. She huffed and puffed as she ran, backing bouncing heavily behind her. Dirt, grass, and twigs were crushed under every step. Beads of sweat formed on her brow and the nape of her neck. Not even wearing her hair up in a lazy bun helped with the humidity, but that was the least of her concerns. 

 _Run. Run. Run. Keep running._   Kelley's thoughts dissolved into the single mantra--to  just put distance between herself and them. 

The forest passed by in a blur of greens and browns. 

But as she passed by more trees, something big and metal came into her vision and jumped out at her. She ran smack into the barrel of a giant gun and fell to ground, writhing painfully. Two very familiar feet stomped closer as Kelley gazed up in fear at her attacker. 

Runabout. 

They stared at one another for several seconds of silence. Kelley felt too frightened to move. Runabout looked like he was considering his next one. 

"I wasn't interested in even being assigned to this planet," the Decepticon growled in the air. "But now...you gave me a reason to make sure I kill every last one of ya."

She watched as he raised his arm and weapon high in the air, scrambling to remove her backpack and the weight holding her back. When he stopped, keeping his arm up for several seconds, Kelley finally threw the stupid straps off her shoulder and scrambled away as Runabout slammed the barrel end of the gun down, intent on crushing her. The powerful gust of air produced knocked her forward.

She shuffled clumsily and came to a halt after tripping and rolling on the ground. 

Kelley groaned and rolled onto her back, but Runabout wasn't finished with her and tightly grabbed her, forming a fist around her mid-section and legs. She gasped painfully as the Decepticon lifted her into the air and gave several testing squeezes against her. 

The young woman gritted and clawed at the joints of the robot's fingers, desperately seeking freedom. 

"Little pests like you should be crushed like the vermin you are. This is our planet now, fleshie. We'll bleed it dry for the resources." The malicious glee in Runabout's voice was too obvious. 

Kelley gasped for breath. The air was slipping from her lips. She couldn't breathe. 

Everything was getting fuzzy and white. Her eyes were wanting to roll into the back of her head. 

She heard a faint explosion. Someone--Roundabout?--howled in pain and she found herself dropped several feet to the ground below. She gasped as sweet, sweet oxygen flooded back into her lung and curled up on the ground. 

 

* * *

 

"Shot's hit!" Mudslinger said eagerly and lowered his scope down. He then activated his channel on the Autobot's communication link and quickly yelled, "Runabout's in shock! Take him down!" 

The Autobot watched through his riffle lens as Crosscut and Rest-Q darted closer before jumping down the organic plant he'd been hiding in. 

"Finally! Action!" he cheered as he zoomed past the two mechs currently kneeling by the human. 

"Rest-Q, I'll leave it to you to bring our small friend to a safer distance," Crosscut stated after observing Kelley's twitching and moaning form. He moved into a standing position, seeking to join the others, but paused when Rest-Q didn't react. "Rest?" 

The medic shook his helm back and forth in refusal. "Don't touch. Don't touch," he copied, fingers hovering just above the human's body. 

"I know. Kelley said don't touch, but the human isn't safe here," Crosscut explained, trying to reason with the other mech. He grabbed Rest-Q's shoulders and made sure the medic was staring at him. "It's alright. I'm sure the human will understand." 

After a few moments, and several gun shots from Mudslinger, Rest-Q nodded three times, paused to stare at Crosscut before he nodded again. It was how he typically said a yes or no. Crosscut was the only one on the team that understood his quirks and his mannerisms, so he came to understand why half of the group often became frustrated with speaking to the medic. 

"Alright, go!" Crosscut ordered as he finally got up and left the human in his teammate's care.  He didn't look back as he followed behind Mudslinger and darted off by Ironhide to take cover. 

"Roadfire made a good call," the red-clad veteran yelled out between gun shots.

"Yes, the human never even realized Kaltor stowed away." 

Cosmos flew down and reverted to bipedal mode, landing beside the pair with a wonky tumble. The green minibot ducked ducked down and glanced over to Ironhide. "But was it the right thing to do to let Kaltor spy on the human? It's not a very...friendly thing to do."

"Who cares?!" Kick-Off snapped through his end. "It'd be dead if we didn't! Be happy your little pet friend is alive, runt."

"Hey, Kick-Off," Crosscut replied casually as he took aim at the tree Runabout used for cover, "when we get the time to regroup, why don't you pull that rust stick out of your aft, hm?"

Several snickers broke out into laughter at the comment as the mech growled in fury.

Crosscut paused and watched as the form of a raging ball of fire ran by their spot. Visor lighting up smugly, the noble laid his weapon across his legs and watched as Kick-Off tackled Runabout's hiding spot, moving so quickly and powerfully that the tree snapped from the impact and tumbled down with the two mechs. Fists flew in a messy fury. The soldier gave a warrior's howl as he continued his onslaught of punch after punch.

"Enough!" Roadfire ordered as he stormed through the trees, weapon aimed down. "Kick-Off!"

He was ignored. 

Kick-Off seemed to only grow angrier.

Roadfire perked up when he realized the mech was reaching for his canon. "I said, enough!" he bellowed as he charged, seeking to put an end to the needless violence. "Kick--"

The trigger was pulled and several powerful bursts were unleashed into Runabout's helm and then his chestplate.

The team leader could only watch as the Decepticon's arms twitched, reacting to the sudden stimulation and then fell dead to the ground. He scowled and immediately zeroed in on Kick-Off--who looked smug and was popping his digits, please with himself--and quickly stormed over to the Autobot. "We needed him alive!"

"If he escaped, he woulda let his buddies know we're here."

The other Autobots--sans Rest-Q and Cosmos--approached hesitantly. 

"That was a stupid move and ya know it," Ironhide snapped, pointing at the mech accusingly. "We needed 'im to find out where they're hidin' their space bridge!"

Kick-Off slowly turned to face Ironhide and Roadfire and considered them. "You"--he shoved a finger against Ironhide's chest plate--"brought me here. I was doing just FINE on the front line. Servos covered in the enemy's fluids and I was HAPPY doing that. You brought me here and expected me to be nice and friendly?" He paused to break out into a malicious cackle. "You shoulda brought a slaggin' turbo fox instead. I ain't no pet." 

Roadfire shook his helm. "If you disobey a direct order again, I will cuff you and let the ship fly you back to Cybertron on auto-pilot! This is your only warning, so pay attention," he said, towering over Kick-Off with optics narrowing. "I'm serious Kick-Off."

The leader bitterly spun on his heels and shifted his attention on Rest-Q in the far distance. The medic had taken the human to cover and was still kneeling over them. Roadfire briskly walked back to join him and leaned over Rest-Q. 

"Please tell me the one native we've managed to find isn't dead,"  Roadfire said, almost sounding distressed, as he watched how Rest-Q's scanner filtered down and ran a diagnostic probe over the human.

"Beating. Chemical Signature. Functioning," Rest-Q stated in assurance.

Almost as if on cue, Kelley's organic optics snapped open and the human coughed and wheezed.

"What happened?!" the human demanded and flinched away from Rest-Q, distrust very visible. 

"It's alright," Roadfire murmured, trying not to raise his voice despite the anger of Kick-Off's actions was still present. "Runabout attacked you and we arrived in time to stop him," the leader explained and nodded to the Decepticon's now grey and lifeless corpse. 

Kelley quickly followed his gaze and pushed up into a standing position. "You killed him?" 

The human glanced back up to Roadfire a strange expression: skepticism, disbelief.

"It wasn't...the preferred outcome we wanted," Roadfire continued explaining. "But...you were in danger. And Roundabout was a major threat." 

"Here's your strange subspace carrier," Crosscut said suddenly and lowered the odd shell Kelley had been wearing to the human's height.

The human snatched the object when it came in reach and quickly looked up at Roadfire again. "Wait. How did you all even find me?"

Roadfire could feel his team freezing just as quickly as he did. His mouth pulled into a frown and his optics darted back and forth. "What do you mean?" 

Kelley looked angry. "Don't play with stupid with me! I was trying to get as far as I freaking could from you!" The humans small arms shot up in the air in frustration. 

"But...we saved you!" Cosmos finally spoke up and looked visibly wilted.

"By following me!" 

When there was a strange rustling in Kelley's bag, the human glared up at Roadfire for a moment and quickly opened its contents. The human reached inside, pulled out Kaltor's tiny squirming form and dropped him on the ground. When the human stood up and stomped a foot down, the Autobots hesitantly took a step back and glanced to one another in confusion. 

"You all can just go to hell!" Kelley screamed, with a surprisingly loud voice for an organic with small lungs.

 _::Erm. If the human is angry just about this...should we keep quiet about the real reason we're here?::_ Crosscut asked on their private frequency, so the human wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on their conversation. 

 _::For right now...Yes. Yes, we should.::_ Roadfire quickly answered, but kept his optics on the human and watched as they stormed away.

"Huh, humans are surprisingly violent," Mudslinger spoke up from his perch on an overhead tree branch, observing as Kelley kicked at the bark of a tree.

Cosmos held his servos down and waited for Kaltor to climb back onto his palm. "Do not fret, Kaltor. I don't think the human is angry at just you..."

The small Cybertronian made a single beep and folded into his clock mode, allowing Cosmos to tuck him back into the compartment located in his chest. 

Roadfire knew this their work was going to be cut out for them.


	6. Piece of My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it. Take it! Take another little piece of my heart now, baby! Oh, oh, break it! Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahah! Guess who forgot to update this on Monday >->
> 
> Annnd. My foot's still sprained, but I think it's healing! I can at least walk on it now. It only hurts after several hours of standing up. ;w; The biggest downside is how it's affected my paycheck....It's not so great getting only a hundred dollars on a check for the week ;;;;;
> 
> Warning: Kelley drops the F bomb ;D

>    **Piece of My Heart: Janis Joplin -- 1968**

For some Autobots-Not-Decepticons, they'd used some very Decepticon-like tactics.

Kelley was fuming.

The poor tree suffering her anger was losing more and more pieces of its bark as each second passed by. How did they seriously expect to fool her into thinking they were 'good guys' if they spied on humans. Between kicks, she paused and inhaled angrily.

Finally, with a few more well placed kicks, she lowered her legs back down and grabbed her backpack again. Silently, she shoved all the pieces of ammo back into the bag and ignored the metal giants watching her every move. With a scowl, Kelley flinged her backpack back over her shoulders, released a pent up sigh, and stood up.

Wordlessly, she turned her nose in the air and began to march past the robots--refusing to acknowledge them. Behind her, they made confused whispers, but none of them dared move. She kept ignoring them as she maneuvered around legs and feet and stopped when she got closer to Runabout's dead frame.

Kelley squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, reflecting on Hollinston and all the destruction the pair caused.

Feeling anger boiling over, Kelley grabbed the largest rock she could find. She stepped over to the Decepticon's face, or rather the pieces left of it, and held the rock above her head. With a growl, she slammed the rock down against the broken metal. Over and over; crushing pieces of metal wiring into broken pieces.

Tears were gathering in her eyes.

She yelped and dropped the rock when her fingers were scratched by a sharp metal thorn now protruding out from the remains. She sighed in exasperation and stuck her index finger in her mouth, hissing in irritation.

Stupid robots, stupid Decepticons. Kelley thought sadly as she held back a soft sob. She would die before allowing any of them see her cry.

"I hope Robot Hell is comfy for you, Runajerk," she whispered as she kicked dirt on the Decepticon and turned away.

"Um. Kelley?" It was Cosmos' strange voice.

She ignored it and began to walk forward again, moving past the Autobot's group.

"Kelley?" Roadfire had been the one to speak this time.

She scowled, but still didn't answer as she continued walking.

"Hey, where you going?" Mudslinger walked after her and followed like an overgrown shadow, arms folded against his back and resting his head against them. "You know it'll take way too long if we walk."

"We?" Kelley pressed and sent a glare over her shoulder. "Who said I was going with you? I'm. Leaving."

"What? Are...all humans dense like you?" Mudslinger asked. "I thought it was kind of established we needed your help and knowledge of the planet?"

Kelley laughed. Loudly. "What? I'm not helping you!" she said between laughs and turned to face him. "I can't even trust you. Why the hell would I help some 'Autobots'--" she lifted her hands and gave air quotes in an extremely sarcastic manner "--that aren't even upfront about themselves?!"

Roadfire stepped fire and cleared his throat--at least, that's what it seemed like in Kelley's opinion. Though honestly it sounded like screeching metal. "Well...I was going to ask you personally. Nothing is decided yet."

"Well, ask me," Kelley deadpanned.

"Erm, will yo--"

"Fuck no." Kelley turned away and continued walking.

Crosscut was now following her and pushed past Mudslinger. "Even though we saved you? Despite the welcome you'd given us. If we had not intervened, Runabout would have killed you!"

Kelley glared at the ground but kept on walking. They were trying to stall her until she gave in and agreed. She wouldn't fall for it.

She paused when she spotted Kick-Off in near distance, leaning against an old oak tree with his arms crossed. Brows furrowing, the human continued her pace and pretended that she couldn't see him.

The robot snickered as Kelley walked by his resting place. "I guess you humans really are stupid. You keep complaining that you want a way out and how you want vengeance for your planet."

She came to a halt.

"This the one chance you'll ever get to stop the Decepticons and you all can save yourselves..." his voice trailed off as he broke into another fit of laughter. "And you just wanna run like a little organic coward. Heh. Funny really."

Kelley didn't reply, but she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I guess you don't care about your fellow humans after all, then."

She huffed, hands curling tightly into fists as she sent a glare up at the stupid robot.

Stubbornly, she whipped around and stared at Roadfire. "Fine! I'll give you directions to the closest settlement and you can make a plan with them."

Several wary expressions melted away and more relieved stares appeared.

"Only because you stopped him," she added in a mutter, nodding to Runabout's lifeless form.

With a sigh, Kelley dropped her bag to the forest floor and rubbed her eyes.

"Alright. Fine. But if you really want to earn my trust, you'll listen to me. About Earth. About what to say or not say. Do or not do," she barked and sent a suspicious look at each and every Autobot. "If any of you so much as take a step in the wrong direction, I'm out of here. I'm completely serious."

Roadfire quickly approached, eyeing her attentively. "Fair conditions."

"So, li'l human," Ironhide spoke up and walked to Roadfire's side. "Which settlement should we be headin' to?"

"First off, please. Use my name. Kelley. Kelley," she urged, gesturing to herself. "Kelley. A female. Not just 'human'. Alright? If you want to appear more friendly, I suggest sticking to a name-basis, alright?"

When none of the Autobots answered her, she sighed and pointed up at Ironhide. "What if I just called all of you 'Autobot'? Hey, 'Autobot 1'. 'Autobot 2' don't go that way. 'Autobot 3' you're a HUGE asshole and I would punch you if it wouldn't break my hand," she murmured.

Eventually, they all nodded in agreement. Except for Kick-Off. He was still sulking in his own corner for whatever reason.

"I think the sooner we leave, the better," Roadfire said urgently. "If the other Decepticons check Runabout and Runamuck's signals soon, trouble will be headed this way, Kelley."

"If they haven't sent a patrol already," Cliffjumper muttered.

A stray energy beam veered by, impacting on a tree and causing it to explode into wooden fragments. Kelley gasped and dropped down to the ground in fear as the Autobots scrambled into action. She crawled to the closest tree and watched the sky, heart pounding.

"What was that?!" she screamed.

"It's the Seekers!" Cliffjumper answered her and aimed his weapon in the air.

High in the sky, Kelley heard the roar of a jet engine.

"Kelley!" Roadfire called out as he sent several shots skywards. "Go with Cliffjumper. He can cloak and get you to safety for now. We'll regroup later!"

Kelley hands shaked as she squeezed the straps of her backpack.

"Wait, before you go!" Cosmos ran towards her and reached into his chest again. "Take Kaltor as well. He will provide your coordinates wth us!" the flying Autobot explained and held out a tiny watch in his large hand.

Kelley silently reached for it with her left arm and nearly jumped when the watch shifted into the tiny robot stowaway. Kaltor leaped at her hand, grabbed her wrist, and transformed back into his watch form--snapping securely around it. She gazed down at the odd watch, frowning. It felt...wrong that a sentient watch was ok with being worn.

"Hurry up!" came Cliffjumper's anxious voice as a red Porsche drove up by her. The passenger door shot open, exposing a relatively normal looking car interior.

She hesitated, feeling an uncomfortable knot twist in her stomach at the idea of riding inside one of them.

"Come on, human!" Cliffjumper snarled as his engine revved. "Do ya wanna live?!"

Kelley stirred into action and quickly dove into the open seat. She chucked her backpack into the back of the car seat while reaching for a seat belt, only to realize in horror that there was no seat belt. She winced and made an unhappy expression. Quickly, Kelley dug one hand into the car door handle and braced herself as the vehicle revved its engine once more and took off in a blur.

Dirt flew. Twigs broke. Pebbles skipped away from the tire traction.

"Come on, come on!" Kelley shouted, slapping the grey dashboard.

"This is harder than you think!" Cliffjumper snapped back.

Distant booms and explosions of gun fire made Kelley flinch. She shut her eyes and allowed Cliffjumper to focus on driving, despite how she felt like she was going to die. Sitting in the robot car.

"Please let me live," she begged in a shaken whisper. "Living's nice!"

As if a miracle answered her plea, Cliffjumper's wheels caught the ground at a good angle and the Porsche took off at lightning speed. He drove through the forest, dipping back and forth between trees.

"Alright, try not to be too amazed," Cliffjumper said with a weird tone. Before Kelley had the chance to question him, the entire vehicle lit up in a flash and the front end of the vehicle...disappeared in thin air.

"What the hell?!"

"It's my cloak! And since you're inside, you can't be seen either," Cliffjumper replied as he drove through a break in the forest clearing.

"But..." Kelley eyes darted around the interior. "I...can see the inside of the car?"

"Ahh, don't try to wrap your processor around it. The scientist behind the technology has always had wacky ideas and things typically explode for him, so just be thankful it works."

"Yeah," she murmured quietly, thinking back to when Cliffjumper had appeared in front of her and nearly gave her a heart attack.

Kelley shifted in the seat and glanced over the passenger's seat with some concern. In the sky, she saw three little dots in the sky. Purple bolts of energy shot out of two of the distant flying aircrafts, while the third dodged in the air. She gasped as she watched the gun fire fly into Hollinston, through the forest, and as large mushrooming clouds poured into the sky.

As she slowly moved back and sat straight in the car seat, she realized...she had been wrong.

They weren't Decepticons pretending to be good. The Decepticons wouldn't invest so much energy in putting on a show. They...wanted to kill Roadfire and his team.

Did Kelley trust them? In regards that they wished to stop the Decepticons, it was obvious enough they were being truthful about it. But...if that was their only intention on Earth? She was certain they had ulterior motives as well.

"Cliffjumper!" Kelley said suddenly and tapped against the hard metal on the dashboard. "Cliffjumper, listen! We have to get somewhere where they can't fly after us!"

"I'm listening!"

"Is there a way to pass the message on to the others?"

"Just hold Kaltor close to your face. We all have a comm. link that we use to speak to each other over distances," the red robot replied, continuing to pick up speed as he breached the border point between Hollinston's forest and the open road.

Kelley blinked several times and glanced down to her wrist. So...it was like a radio? With a shrug, she lifted her left arm up. For a moment, it felt like she was a spy, speaking into a communicator--just like the movies she use to watch with her parents. The old black and white noirs where the detectives had all sorts of crazy inventions like a radio pen.

She cleared her throat once before opening her mouth, "Hey. Guys. Autobots. It's me!"

"Yes, Kelley?" came a distracted Roadfire. In the background, the blasts sounded so close and deadly.

"You all need to lose the birds and follow us. There's a cave that runs on for a few miles we can get through. It's big enough for you all to fit in!"

"Birds?" Mudslinger confused.

"The birds that are, I don't know, ATTACKING you?" Kelley replied with a scowl.

There was a bout of silence before Roadfire finally replied, he sounded preoccupied. "Alright. It works for now. Cosmos, you'll need to divert the Decepticons' attention."

"Yes, sir!" Cosmos' voice was obedient and urgent.

"Alright, Cliffjumper," Kelley quickly added and turned her attention back on the road. "It's a few miles down the road. Just keep driving!"

It had been years since she rode in a car; the last time being just days before the invasion. She never had the chance to practice driving either. So it was a very surreal feeling to be sitting inside one again. She thought back to her dad for a moment, remembering his promise to teach her how to drive. And her mom saying that he didn't need to rush her into growing up.

"How did they find us?!" she complained as she fidgeted in the car. It felt strange and wrong to be trapped in such a condensed area--even though she lived and slept in a cave.

"Ground bridge," Cliffjumper said simply. "They must have realized Runabout and Runamuck's signal was gone and sent a scouting party."

 _Then...they know they're here_ , Kelley thought. She frowned and continued fidgeting in the car chair.

She glanced down to the dashboard's display, half expecting to look like a normal car, but to her surprise it was...different. There wasn't a typical clock inside and there was no way to tell the time. Instead, alien letters and characters, were spread across a long, glowing square. There wasn't even a gearshift between the seats.

"This is too weird..." she groaned and pulled her hands into her lap. "What does it feel like to have something inside you?" Kelley asked as she watched the road.

"Exactly how you'd think," Cliffjumper replied blankly.

Kelley nearly made a disgusted face and groaned, but leaned forward and tapped the dashboard again. "Turn right here! The cave entrance is on this dirt trail."

"Hold on!" Cliffjumper warned as the vehicle took a sharp right and darted down the path. The road caused his tires to rattle as he traveled over the bumpy texture.

"To what?!" Kelley snapped as she wrapped her fingers around the car door's handle. "Why don't you have a seat belt anyway?!"

"What's a seat belt?" Cliffjumper called back as the turn caused him to lean on the left side of his tires.

"J-just drive!" Kelley cried hysterically and breathed anxiously as the car adjusted its position and landed back on all four wheels.

A wave of relief flashed through Kelley's body when she spotted the familiar entrance. It had been the cave she traveled to in through Hollinston--though the time had not been a pleasant one for her. Right on the other side of the large cavern, it had been the last place she spent with her parents when they were alive.

When Cliffjumper drove through the dark opening, he went on for about a hundred feet before he came to a halt and the engine died down.

She leaned back over the car seat and yanked her backpack and weapons back into her lap. She carefully stepped out onto the cave floor and hugged her possessions close to her chest. "So...Are the others doing alright?"

Cliffjumper waited until Kelley was out and several feet away from him before he changed back. "Since no one is saying that they got hit by a blast, then I'd say they're good. Wish I could be out there right now. Nothing beats shooting down a dirty 'Con."

The young human sank down into a sitting crouch, exhaustion taking over. She propped her bag against her left side and she leaned against it. It had been several hours since she last had the chance to simply...rest. The cool, moist air in the cave helped with her sweating. For a moment, she examined the interior of the cave. If not for the severity of the circumstances and her not-entirely-crippling fear of the dark, she could find beauty in the surroundings.

She reached into her coat's chest pocket again and pulled out the same photo of her and her parents.

Kelley could feel Cliffjumper's eyes observing her every move, despite how he was guarding the entrance.

"Do you...uh...all have parents?" Kelley asked and briefly glanced up to watch the robot.

"'Parents'?" Cliffjumper looked confused.

"I mean...How are you robots created?" she asked, weakly waving her arms. "I mean...Do you...just build each other?"

Cliffjumper looked...kind of distraught by the topic and glanced away. "Maybe this isn't the time to talk about it. It's a complicated explanation."

Kelley rolled her eyes and quietly settled against her backpack. "Pfft. Figures."

She rubbed her eyes and used her pack as cushion--a metal and heavy one--and blinked slowly. Fatigued.

Silence ascended its reign over the cavern and the two present beings--aside from a distant _tap tap tap_ of water dripping down the ceiling. What if the plan failed? What if the others couldn't get away from the Decepticons? What if the Decepticons found her and Cliffjumper instead? It made her grind her boots into the rocky ground in agitation. Kelley wished she had something, anything, to distract herself with.

Eventually, she settled her stare on her left arm again and slowly pulled it and Kaltor closer. She gazed down at the strange robotic watch and frowned.

"Sorry I dropped you earlier," she muttered. "To be fair though...I almost wanted to throw you into a tree. So, little blessings, right?"

The tiny robot only replied with a single beeping noise.

"What's wrong with him?" Kelley asked in Cliffjumper's direction.

"Well, not all of us have the ability to download language packs. Kaltor's processor is too small so he can't communicate with you. But he can understand the language at least." The red minibot was now sitting on a broken stalagmite.

"Language...pack?"

"Yeah. Think of it like this," Cliffjumper explained and pointed to his horned head. "Imagine being able to understand words, but you can't reply with them."

Kelley made a soft hum of consideration. "I guess I get it...but still. Language pack?"

"How do you think we learned English?"

The human shrugged and scratched at her elbow, feeling like a ignorant child in a classroom. One that wasn't as smart as the other children and knew even less. "I'm guessing it's not because of luck."

"The Decepticons most likely spied on your planet for stellar cycles before they acted. I wouldn't put it past them that they hacked the satellites rotating around your planet and interrupted radio frequencies to gain access to the most used languages on this planet. It's a typical 'Con routine." As Cliffjumper continued his explanation, he lowered his weapon onto his lap and examined it. "So, we hacked the 'Con's frequency upon entering the planet and stole what they stole!"

"So...you can speak more than English?" Kelley asked, intrigued. She shifted closer and stared up at him attentively. "Like what?"

Cliffjumper blinked and stared down at her, before shrugging and replying with a distinct, "Vous avez tiré sur moi avec une arme de la Terre!"

"Wow. You weren't joking." Kelley continued peering up at the red robot. "That...might actually come in handy then. If we encounter other humans who can't speak English."

"You humans can't just download languages?" Cliffjumper asked, sounding extremely surprised by the revelation. But he was still focusing most of his attention on his blaster.

"Nope. Even I don't know anything other than English. There are some people who can probably speak more than one language...but who knows if they're even still alive," Kelley muttered. "It takes time and effort to memorize that kind of stuff."

Cliffjumper did not reply and looked distracted.

Kelley went quiet and listened. She heard the sound of distant engines getting closer and closer.

"Is that you, Roadfire?" Kelley asked in a hushed tone against her wrist and Kaltor.

There wasn't a response. The engines were still approaching.

Cliffjumper didn't look worried. Kelley felt the opposite.

However, the apprehension quickly died when six familiar vehicles came into view on the dirt road. They drove inside in a flash, not even bothering to stop as they transformed into their robot forms. Kelley watched as Mudslinger yelped and collapsed onto one knee while the team swarmed around him. Rest-Q was at his side, and pushed him into sitting down.

"I told ya to watch yer tailpipe," Ironhide barked at Mudslinger. "And ya went and tried that slaggin' stupid technique anyway!"

"Jet Judo is a real thing!" Mudslinger whined.

"Mudslinger, you nearly caused the entire team to be hit with stray fire!" Crosscut growled and looked as if he was about to smack the other robot's head. "Stop listening to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's war stories!"

Kick-Off was the only one of the group not crowding his teammate and instead went to his own little area of the cave. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, smirking in amusement. "I like beating a Decepticon into pulp and scrap, but even I'm not that stupid. You're lucky only your pede was shot."

"This REALLY hurts," Mudslinger complained.

Rest-Q was leaning over Mudslinger, arms moving at a lightning speed pace.

Kelley perked up and stood up. She tapped her fingers together as she hesitantly approached the medic, peering at the distressed Mudslinger. She almost winced in some disgust at the sight. There was a broken and messy hole in Mudslinger's...foot? She could see all the way through it. There was a disgusting looking purple fluid coating the inside of wires and leaking onto the ground.

"What happened?" she asked, trying not to gag at the ghastly sight.

"Mudslinger thought it would be a great idea to try and grab onto one of the Seekers in an attempt to make them crash," Crosscut explained and glared at the fidgeting robot.

"Messy." Rest-Q's fingers danced in and out of the hole with such precision and skill. "Non-fatal. Patch. Transformation capable. Reckless!" the medic said pointedly and for the first time since Kelley first saw them, Rest-Q looked angry.

"Eesh. You should work on your bedside manner," Mudslinger complained.

"He's right," Crosscut replied, defending Rest-Q.

"I suppose we need to use opportunity to recuperate," Roadfire said with a sigh. "Cosmos should be arriving soon."

Just as the Autobot's leader finished speaking, there was a loud and strange whooshing sound--right out from the old sci-fi movies--and Cosmos' flying saucer mode darted into the cave.

Cosmos made a relieve gasp as he reverted into his robot mode as well and fell on the ground in exhaustion. "Sorry to be late! Those Seekers are agile!"

"Alright," Kelley spoke up, still rubbing her eyes. "Are we resting here for a couple hours while we wait for those fliers to lose our trail?"

Roadfire sighed again. "We have no other option right now. Mudslinger needs the repair and rest for now."

"Good. Who has the biggest seats in their car mode?"

"I suppose...I do?" Crosscut answered, eyeing the human with concern. "Then again, it could be Ironhide."

"Somebody is letting me nap on their car seat, alright?" Kelley said confidently and brushed herself off. "I'm tired and you don't want a cranky human on your giant hands."

Crosscut and Ironhide shared a silent look. Ironhide nodded in the grey and red Autobot's direction, causing Crosscut to sigh in defeat. Crosscut mumbled something against his mouthplate and transformed into his vehicle mode. It was definitely roomy, looking at it from the outside. Kelley approached the hatchback and waited for the passenger door to open on its own.

Carefully, Kelley climbed into the spacious car and reached for the seat lever, only after to realize a few seconds later that the interior of Crosscut's car form was just as lackluster as Cliffjumper. No gearshift. No brake or pedal. It had the identical alien display, with all the glowing characters. But, she did not think on it nearly as long this time, and she simply laid back on the seat. Crosscut seemed to realize what her intention was though after the car seat lowered slowly in a mechanical whir.

"Thanks," she murmured with a tired voice and shut her eyes.

If she wasn't mistaken, the seats felt...warm. Like they were using a heater.

For the first time in years, Kelley fell asleep feeling...comfortable.


	7. Let it Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me. Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Augh short chapter D; I'm sorry. ;w; 
> 
> And, Kelley might have...intentionally misinformed them how pregnancy works, who knows? ;D [[I know.]]

>    **Let it Be: The Beatles** **\-- 1970**

 

Kelley blinked when a large finger poked her, quickly stirring back into consciousness. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized Ironhide's giant face was at her side, gazing in the car. Quickly releasing the gust of air she trapped in her lungs at being awakened so abruptly, she dragged her hands down her face. She whipped her head up at the red Autobot's direction and pointed at him accusingly.

"Don't. Do. That." Kelley warned, trying to catch her breath. "Especially if you don't want me to shoot you again."

Ironhide's mouth pulled into a frown. "Well, we gotta start movin' out. Yer the one who's gonna guide us through this rock hole, right?"

"Ugh." Kelley groaned and regretfully sat up. She was so tempted to lay back down and ignore the robot, but she knew she had to help them. "Fine. I'm up. Geeze."

Her feet were angry. They ached and felt so sore. Her calves were a jelly mess. Her back was just painfully stiff. Naturally, her body had pushed the awful signals away while the adrenaline fueled her from the excitement of trying to escape the Autobots, meeting them, and then almost being killed by Runabout. But now that things have calmed down, her body was flooded by the not-so-pleasant sensations.

She begrudgingly stepped out of Crosscut's vehicle form and stretched her arms out. She took a moment to rub away the sleep out of her eyes, yawned, and then stretched; a tired moan quickly crawled up from her throat.

"If we go out the cave, it'll go on to a settlement in the north but who knows if they are still there. We might have to get directions if we find other people though," Kelley explained as she walked to her backpack. "I haven't traveled since I got to Hollinston and that was--sheesh--six years ago. No, wait! Seven? And no, before any one asks. We don't have some kind of map built in our brains."

Kelley glanced back to Mudslinger, who had a gaudy yellow metal square welded onto his foot. Rest-Q was eyeing the patch quietly. Roadfire was debriefing the team.

"Finally!" Crosscut said happily and transformed back the instant Kelley climbed out. 

Kelley rolled her eyes as she made her way to her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. “I honestly don't trust the distress beacons you all have. I'm pretty sure they could be old or a trap or just...something that could throw you off. So that's why I think it's best we just travel without a destination in mind for now. We'll run into something or someone eventually.”

"Oh, oh!" Cosmos perked up as she approached and waddled over to her. "Kelleeeee. Would you like me to carry your subspace pocket? It seems...heavy for an organic as small as you!"

Kelley eyed him suspiciously and hugged her backpack protectively. On one hand, she wouldn't have to lug around fifty pounds of stuff. On the other hand, what if something happened and she became separated from Cosmos? Eventually, she frowned, but still held the backpack out to him.

"Fine. Just be careful!" she instructed him, watching as the green fingers accepted her belongings. "Be very careful with that. Alright?"

"Yes, I will be most careful!" Cosmos replied in a very cheerful voice. "Happy to be of assistance."

Roadfire walked past the group and gazed ahead at the long tunnel laid out before them. "Let's move out, Autobots." 

Without a word, the team shuffled into standing and followed his order. Kick-Off took point and brushed off the others with a loud 'hmph' as he stalked ahead. Rest-Q and Mudslinger walked close to one another as they followed him; Rest-Q's eyes were glued to Mudslinger's foot, as if judging the other robot's ability to walk. Kelley followed beside Crosscut and looked over her shoulder at Roadfire and Ironhide and Cosmos as they walked behind. Cliffjumper waited to give them distance before he followed as well. Most likely for whatever tactical plans they discussed. 

It didn't take long before Kelley realized they kept...glancing at her; barely minutes had passed. And seemed to be walking slower; she was certain she heard a few sighs of annoyance.  _So, robots can be just as passive-aggressive as a human are_ , Kelley thought in amusement. _Wonderful. I'm assuming they don't know what manners are either._

"...What?" Kelley quickly pipped up, looking around.

"Well. We don't mean to impose," Crosscut hesitantly answered, "but, we are kind of in a hurry." 

"Yeah. You humans are slow," Mudslinger added bluntly. 

"Crosscut, Mudslinger!" Roadfire barked the pair's names and scowled. "Do not rush the human, alright?" 

"Well, Kick-Off sure as pit isn't waiting for us," Mudslinger replied casually. "He's almost out of sight!" 

_Here it comes_ , Kelley thought in a huge 'do not want' tone. She tried to ignore the Autobots as she walked forward. They were crazy if they believed she would let any of them willingly hold her. Or ride on their shoulder like a little parrot. But, the longer she kept her stubborn streak, the more her body punished her. In another time, on another day, she would have played blissfully ignorant, if only to annoy the robots further. Her body was painfully not willing to put up with her childish intentions.

Finally, she glanced up at most of the Autobots in consideration and wondered which she'd allow to carry her. Rest-Q and Crosscut seemed...decent. Ironhide reminded her of a grandparent. Mudslinger was a dumb kid that would probably drop her. Cosmos and Cliffjumper were too...small; at the most they could probably carry her bridal style or piggyback, but that was too _familiar_ for Kelley. Kick-Off was just a plain asshole--never in a million years she'd let him even poke her. So, that left...

Kelley stopped in front of Roadfire's path and cleared her throat. "Fine. You can carry me if I'm holding you all back that badly." 

The Autobots--who had been quietly arguing and pretending that they weren't arguing--all looked down at her. 

Roadfire then quickly spoke up. "You don't have to feel pressured into--"

Kelley sighed and held up her hand. "I mean, we'll get out of here quicker. So, let's just go. Please."

"Very well." It was obvious Roadfire wanted to say otherwise, but he slowly, awkwardly, kneeled down and held his hand out to her. 

Kelley grimaced. She closed her eyes as she stepped forward, briefly touching her fingers against the warm metal of his finger. A shiver of fear and disgust ran along her spine, but she swallowed her anxiety back. Producing an uncertain sound, the human slowly inched onto his hand and scooted towards the center of Roadfire's palm. 

Roadfire was the tallest of all the Autobots, so his hands were biggest of all of theirs. At the very least, he was the most considerate of the human's feelings. Aside from Cosmos anyway.

After Roadfire gave her the time she needed to settle in his hand, he slowly stood up. He looked tense and just as nervous as Kelley felt. It probably didn't help that she was vocal with a groan from the awful jerking sensation in her stomach as Roadfire stood up. She hated heights nearly as much as she hated the dark. Sitting in Roadfire's hand reminded Kelley of the day she was seven. The next door neighbor was cleaning their gutter out and left their ladder propped up against their house. Kelley felt like a brave super hero and darted up the ladder, but when she got to the top rung, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the ground. Her body didn't want to move. The next thing she knew, her foot slipped from shaking so much she was plummeting to the ground far below.

"I'm fine," she said softly. She just wouldn't look down. Kelley reasoned with herself that she wouldn't fall this time.

The knot in her stomach did not leave even after Roadfire started walking. Despite how she kept her eyes sealed tight, her body could  _feel_  the height.

The group did not say anything as they continued walking. Mudslinger was right, as annoying as he was. They were walking at a more brisk pace now. 

"Alright, I want my question answered now," Kelley said abruptly, trying desperately to mask her fear. "Where do your babies come from? Cliffjumper wouldn't tell me."

She almost smiled when they all sputtered in surprise. 

"Uh." Crosscut was noticeably putting distance between himself and Kelley. 

Cliffjumper was cackling softly.

"How do you humans make each other?" Mudslinger shot back.

"You really want to know? Prepare for a horror story!" Kelley opened her eyes and gazed at the younger robot--at the very least he acted the youngest of them all. "Alright, listen up metal children. This is important material since you'll be staying on Earth for who knows how long. When a mommy human and a daddy human love each other, they do wacky things in a bed. And the daddy human gives the mommy human some of his DNA and it mixes with her DNA. And then the mommy has to carry that mess of DNA inside her body for several months. And the mess slowly turns into a tiny human. I think it takes around nine months? Don't ask me. I'm not an expert." 

"How long is...nine months?" Mudslinger asked in a hushed voice.

"Closest estimate. Meta-cycle. Disturbed by human choice of reproduction."

"You carry your new forms inside you for that long?!" Mudslinger sounded horrified.

Kelley laughed. "Please. That's not even the worse part. Wait till I explain the horrors of child rearing."

"What." 

"Mommy human carries the baby in her special 'baby pouch' for about nine months. And then the baby decides its too big to be in there any more! Then guess what? It's gotta come out!" Kelley was amused with all the concerned and frightened expressions coming in her direction. "It's very painful, by the way. Mommy human gets really painful stomach cramps because the baby tells her body it wants to be free! And this doesn't happen quickly."

"This sounds like a case a parasites instead of creatin' youngins..." Ironhide muttered.

"Mommy human spends several hours--if she's lucky--screaming in a bed. I've been told it feels like something is tearing you from the inside out. But, the baby is just taking its nice and slow time deciding when to come out. Ah, right, right! The best part?" Kelley asked, smiling still. "The hole the baby comes out isn't even BIG enough for it. The human mommy's body practically tears itself open so the baby can get out of there."

Mudslinger slapped a hand to his mouth and made a disgusted sound.

"It's a very bloody, amazing mess. I mean, that's how my mom told me it went!" Kelley added with an innocent enough smile. 

Roadfire made an uncomfortable cough. "We...do need to learn as much as we can about the planet's lifeforms. Thank you for sharing this--err--interesting amount of knowledge."

"Aww, I totally forgot to mention that sometimes the mom has to be cut open instead!"

Kick-Off turned his head and practically shouted, "What is wrong with this species?!"

"Sheesh, and here I was thinking being forged or constructed cold was tricky stuff," Mudslinger complained, visibly shivering.

"What's that?" Kelley asked. 

Rest-Q spoke up this time. "Methods of reproduction for Cybertronians. Forged. Created. Harvested. Constructed. Created. Non-harvested."

"Huh?" 

"What Rest-Q means is that they are alternatives to the same end. For a time before the war began, Cybertronians were forged. Meaning that their sparks were harvested in a field specialized in fertilizing them. Later on, sparks were created instead of forming naturally. Those created sparks would become constructed mechs. There's some debate on the planet whether constructed mechs are 'real' Cybertronians, but I think it's ridiculous."

Kelley tilted her head as Crosscut spoke, resting her fingers against her chin. "Wow. That's easy enough to explain. What's a spark anyway?"

"It's our life energy. A physical manifestation of our very being," Roadfire replied and lowered his hand, and Kelley down to chest level. 

She watched as his chest slid apart and exposed a giant ball of beating and flickering energy. It swirled in a vortex of bright light and inexplicably rolled into itself over and over. It almost looked...beautiful. 

"Pretty," Kelley murmured.

Strangely, it seemed to embarrass Roadfire.

Mudslinger and Cliffjumper laughed. 

"Wow, Roadfire! Never seen you so...lax before!" Mudslinger said in a good humor. "Nice to see you not such a stickler after all!"

"Aww, and he's bearin' his spark to a stranger! How cute!" Ironhide joined in at the casual jabbing, chuckling deeply. 

Roadfire's lips twitched but kept in a firm line. Quickly, his chest panel closed in flash and he kept his gaze ahead on the tunnel. 

"What?" Kelley asked, ignorant to the strange robot customs. It was odd how they were behaving like a group of friends rather than soldiers in a war. 

"Dear Roadfire forgot it's more polite to show one's spark to only close friends." Crosscut lifted a hand to his mouthplate and giggled. "I don't even think he used the Universal Greeting!" 

"You all are weird," Kelley muttered and rolled her eyes. 

It was surreal how quickly she felt herself warming up to the alien robots. Perhaps it was her loneliness of living isolated for a year. Perhaps she felt that they were indeed being honest. 

After the laughter died down, Kelley listened to the echoes of water dripping down. She hugged her knees to her chest and waited until another question came to mind. "So...are you and Decepticons the same...uh...race? Like how humans live on different continents and can have different skin colors, but we're still human."

Roadfire made a sound akin to a sigh. "It's a long story, but a non complicated answer is yes."

"Don't lodge me with no dirty Decepticon!" Cliffjumper spat from down below. 

"Spark. Autobot, Deception possess."

The conversation was interrupted by a literal light at the end of the tunnel. Kelley watched as the opposite opening came into view. 

_Shorter than I remember_ , Kelley reflected, but then she realized at the time she had to walk the distance herself. The Autobots really could walk farther than a human could and much faster due to their size. 

"Alright, after we get out of here, there'll be another dirt road and it leads to a fork. We need to go right!" Kelley explained and looked up at Roadfire.

"Understood."

"Well, never thought I'd say this," Kelley began. "Time for a road trip!"


	8. Southern Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever felt a southern night? Free as a breeze. Not to mention the trees. Whistling tunes that you know and love so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This....has not been updated for a while. I'm sorry. ;;;; I feel even worse because I have had this chapter ready for like....WEEKS now. Ahhhh. ahahaha. Sorry sorry ;w;

>    **Southern Nights: Glen Campbell -- 1977**

 

After driving for at least thirty or forty miles, Kelley could tell the Autobots were getting antsy. They kept making comments on how they wondered what it would be like when they finally saw other humans. She was sitting in Ironhide's vehicle mode this time: a red Nissan Vanette. She definitely admired how roomy his insides were and she was planning on napping in him this time. 

Despite how worn out she was getting, she didn't want to sleep just yet. The sun was still out. And if they ran into other humans while she was sleeping, it could turn out disastrous. 

"Hm...We just need to keep going north I guess," Kelley muttered quietly. Her eyes darted from the open road down to Kaltor many, many times. If not for the slight weight added to her arm, she'd of forgotten about the tiny robot. 

He was just so quiet. 

Kelley was quiet as well. She took time to soak in her surroundings. She watched trees and fields zoom by as they drove. It almost reminded of car drives with her parents; how she'd listen to them chat about their day or what the plans were or even discuss their own parent's well being while Kelley sat in the car quietly. She'd give anything to have those days back. 

Propping an elbow on Ironhide's car door, she continued watching and listened as the Autobots made their plans. There wasn't a single sign on the highway as they drove. Either Decepticons had broken them to deter traveling or humans took them to use the metal. Not even giant billboards were left in peace after the invasion. Every material mattered to people desperate and brave enough to take them. 

"Hey, Kelley," Mudslinger asked over their channel.

She blinked, quickly snapping out of her daze. "Yes?" 

"What did humans do before the invasion? Uh...for fun?"

Kelley shrugged. "That's a pretty generalized question there. It varied I guess. I honestly don't remember much of what it was like before this all happened. I suppose I drew dumb little pictures. Collected some pony toys. Not that it matters now."

"That sounds interesting?"

Kelley snorted. "Alright, my turn. What about you guys? Surely you haven't been fighting all your lives? I mean...right?"

"Technically," Crosscut murmured. "We lived in the Golden Age," he said with a dreamy sigh. "I was once one of the Tower residents. There was peace. No war."

"Bah!" Ironhide grumbled. "Ya make it sound all pleasant. It wasn't fer most of us, y'know!" 

"Why's that?" Kelley asked and leaned back into Ironhide's seat. 

"There was inequality between classes," Roadfire replied. "And...a mech named Megatron started a revolt. It led to the Decepticons being created."

"Didn't...anyone stop him?" Kelley asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"It was a complicated issue. The Senate, our leading government at the time, was corrupt and sought to silence Megatron's words. Through any means necessary. In turn...that only strengthened the growing support for the 'miner who dared to speak out against the oppression'."

"Why did they come to Earth anyway?" Kelley whispered. 

There was no response. That wasn't suspicious in any way.

"Hello?" she demanded, growing irritated. 

Roadfire came through, voice hesitating for several seconds. "We...Your planet has several natural resources that can be turned into our fuel. Energon. Your sun can produce so much solar energy, it's also able to help with energon production."

Kelley broke out in a skeptical laugh, as if they were joking, and she stared out the window again. "Really? All this death and destruction...Just for the Decepticons to have food?! This...this feels a bad prank or something. I don't even know what to say," she said, dragging a hand down her face. "Can't you all just make your own food? Why was Earth invaded like this?"

"It's not as easy as you think," Roadfire replied quietly. "The war between Autobot and Deception placed a strain on our energon supply. Both sides are lacking proper resources now..."

Kelley's hands were shaking again. "So, you're telling me the entire reason the Decepticons came here, destroyed so many lives, killed so many parents and children, is because you all are a bunch of irresponsible...idiots?"  All composure was draining from her voice. "Oh my god...You..."

None of the Autobots dared to raise their voices.

"Stop the car," Kelley whispered.

"But we--"

"Stop!"

The instant the scream came from Kelley's mouth, every single car and tank came to a screeching halt. Her breathing was ragged. Her hands were balled into fists and quivering.

"I'm just going to warn you all," Kelley spoke with a docile tone, arms still shaking. "Don't mention that to any other human. They'll be so angry and will most likely try to kill you. Because..." She paused and inhaled deeply. "Humans are a lot of things. Stupid. Reckless. But we never fucked up THAT badly."

She wiped her face as tears collected in the corners of her eyes. "We never ran out of food that we had to invade an innocent planet to steal all its resources!" 

Kelley gasped several times, desperately holding her tears. 

"I mean, do you all even really want to save the Earth? Or do you just want to take what we have and use it for yourselves?"

Silence loomed for a time as Kelley sat in Ironhide's vehicle mode.

However, Roadfire finally responded with, "Stopping the Decepticons is our first and most important priority. No matter the cost." 

Kelley turned on her side and gazed out the car window sadly, tears still streaming down her face. "It's already cost the Earth so much."

When all the Autobots silently turned their engines back on and inched forward, Kelley didn't say a word. They resumed driving, one car in front of the other, silently. 

The drive remained quiet for the next hour, but Kelley didn't feel any better. She continued looking out the window. She watched as the highway road morphed into a two lane road, surrounded by farm land on all sides. She never been to a farm herself or knew how one was operated; knowledge she wish she had now. In the distance, she spotted a strange outline of a farm house and blinked several times.

She was certain the wooden house had lights on.

"Hey, hey," Kelley quickly said, patting Ironhide's dashboard. "I think it's worth checking out this farm over here. But I only want to take Ironhide. So you all need to stay out of sight."

"Why?" Roadfire asked in an even tone. 

Kelley frowned, knowing the Autobots were probably on edge after her outburst. "Well, they'd probably be able to point us in the right direction. And...they might have some extra food? So, let me go up there with Ironhide and just wait here."

"Very well." Roadfire still sounded even-tempered.

It was settled.

The Autobots pulled over and allowed Ironhide to drive past them. The Nissan Vanette slowly maneuvered around the long line of vehicles and drove through the open gate of the farm. Quickly, Kelley scooted over into the driver's seat and grabbed the steering wheel.

"Err...What'cha doin'?" Ironhide asked. 

"If there's people, they need to think you're just a regular car, ok?" Kelley explained quietly. "I think the best way to break your presence in is slowly...and with tact. I really don't feel like dealing with an old farmer guy carrying a shotgun, alright?"

"I'm guessin' ya'll react with the same welcomin'," the Autobot muttered.

"Like I said," Kelley said with  a casual shrug and leaned back, fingers hardly wrapped around Ironhide's steering wheel. "I'm just one debatably sane girl. Imagine more humans with more firepower."

"Awright, ya made yer point. Lead the way," Ironhide replied with a chuckle. 

"Look at the gravel area right there," Kelley directed, nodding ahead. "Park there and don't say a word. I'm gonna knock on the door and see how it goes. If you hear me screaming and see me running, then you can feel free to do something."

Ironhide didn't reply, but he revved his engine once. 

Kelley sighed as she pushed open the car door and stepped onto the gravel. It had been over a year since she last interacted with other humans. She honestly had no idea what to expect. She wiped her face, hoping to appear more presentable, before she looked up at the farm house. 

It was almost like one of the kinds she'd seen in an old movie: a modest red color with white borders, though it looked old and worn and faded when Kelley stepped closer. In the main living room, Kelley definitely saw a light behind a thick curtain. As she approached, holding her backpack against her front side, she waited. She expected a cliche old and angry farmer armed with a shotgun to come storming out, demanding to know who she was. 

It was kind of expected these days that everyone was on edge. People had to be to survive. 

When the door creaked open, Kelley paused and held her breath. 

Standing in the doorway, there was an older man peering through a screen door. His hair was short and grey, face covered in wrinkles. He watched Kelley, blue eyes sharp like a hawk.

"Um." Kelley fidgeted and took a step closer. "Hi...I was just needing some directions if it isn't a problem."

"What's yer name, girl?" the old man asked and pushed the creaking screen door open. 

"I'm Kelley," she replied quietly and scratched the back of her neck. "I'm from Hollinston."

He peered at her silently for a time. She finally had a better look at the old man, he was wearing a red and green tartan button up shirt, long sleeves rolled back to his elbows, and blue jeans covered in dirt patches. He cleared his throat and leaned to one side in consideration. "Hollinston? That town was destroyed a year ago."

"Yeah. I've been hiding on my own," Kelley answered and continued staring at the man on his porch. "I was hoping to get directions. Whichever settlement is closest?"

"All ya want then?" the old man questioned, staring her down. 

"Yessir," Kelley murmured. "I won't bother you for anything. I just want some directions."

The man hummed, dragging a hand down his mouth. It looked like he was trying to make an opinion of her. Finally, he broke eye contact, leaned back into his doorway and called out, "Lucille, set another plate!"

Kelley quickly looked down, feeling some heat on her cheeks. "I don't want to impose on you, sir..."

"My name's Gunther," the old man stated as he looked back to Kelley. "And ya look like ya gonna keel over."

"I..." Just the thought of something cooked and hot made Kelley's mouth water and stomach growl defiantly. 

"Don't be ashamed," the farmer--Gunther--said while waving her up. 

She wrapped her fingers tightly around her bag's straps and glimpsed over her shoulder to Ironhide. She sent the vehicle a short shrug, hoping that the robot could see her gesture, before turning back and inching up to Gunther's porch. "Are...you sure you have enough? I don't wanna eat your food, sir."

"No 'sir', just call me Gunther," he replied. "And to answer yer question, we're probably better off than most other folks. A farm like this saved our lives," he continued explaining as he led Kelley through the house. 

Kelley admired how old fashioned the layout was. There was a single couch with two arm chairs, the fabrics a very dated pattern design. Black and white photos decorated the walls, mostly of a younger looking Gunther with a pretty woman at his side. In a few, they were leaning against a wooden fence. In others they were older and surrounded by teenagers and other adults.

"I uh...I don't mean to pry," Kelly began as she stood at the doorway, hovering awkwardly, "but how did your farm make it? How is it...?"

To Kelley, it seemed like an inexplicable miracle their house was still standing. 

"We noticed that the giant devils don't like the cold too much. They stay away from areas that get a lot of snow. Tree cover probably helps as well."

_I wonder if it has to do with what Roadfire said...Maybe some places don't interest the 'Cons as much to harvest for their fuel._ Kelley bowed her head as she thought pensively.

"All we ask in return is ya wipe yer feet and leave yer bag at the door," Gunther added before he disappeared through a door way. 

Kelley winced and glanced down to the ragged carpet laying in a crumpled mess. She awkwardly obeyed the instructions, wiping off mud and rubble. She then had an internal debate about leaving her backpack unguarded by the front door. With a soft sigh, she lowered it against the wall and frowned. 

Just as quickly, she lifted Kaltor up and whispered in an extremely hushed tone, "Guys give me like a couple hours. Alright? Be good!" She felt like she was scolding overgrown children, but the last thing Kelley needed was for the old couple to get a heart attack or something.

Kelley whipped her head up when her nose caught the smell of something amazing. Cooked. Food. She quickly wiped away the drool from her lips and winced when her stomach growled painfully. 

Hesitantly, she followed Gunther and came to a halt. It was connected to a moderately sized kitchen. There was a woodfire stove inside, located against the wall. A woman wearing a baby blue dress and an apron tied loosely around her waist was standing in front of the oven, stirring something inside a pan. 

Gunther was sitting at the wooden table by the time Kelley entered, smoking a pipe. "Lucille, this is Kelley," he announced.

Quickly, the woman turned and faced Kelley. She had just as gray hair as Gunther. 

"Well, hello!" Lucille greeted, reminding Kelley of how cheery her grandmother was every time she and her parents came to visit. "You're the first visitor we've had in weeks, dear. We kinda reckoned...not many are left that can make it through these parts."

"People pass by here?" Kelley asked. "As in frequently?"

"We ain't have a visitor in weeks, like my darlin' said. But people do come by, like ya did. Askin' fer food or shelter," Gunther replied, gesturing for Kelley to take a seat at the opposite end of the table. "Hope ya like chicken."

Kelley chuckled softly. "If it's edible..." she joked and sank down into the chair.

It was so weird to be sitting in a kitchen, eating at a table. 

"Use to be a chicken farm before this mess happened," Gunther explained. "Bringin' all the local markets our chicken for them to butcher and sell. Now we just raise the chicken and kill 'em off fer food."

"And we feed anyone who shows up at our door hungry and tired," Lucille added as she brought the giant pot over to the table. "For a while, I was afraid we were the only folks left in this area," she murmured with a growing frown. 

"She told me she was from Hollinston," Gunther said to his wife. 

Lucille made a startled gasp and stared at Kelley in disbelief. "Aww, nah! A-are you...How on Earth did you get outta there, dear?"

Kelley shrugged and adverted her gaze for a second. "It wasn't easy. I ran and hid in the forest nearby. I've been staying there for nearly a year." 

"I'm so sorry," Lucille said with a really gentle tone.

"That's why I just want some directions to the nearest settlement," Kelley murmured. "I was lucky to get that car working, so it's why I'm here right now I guess." She shrugged as she explained.

"Yer a little young," Gunther said quietly. "Yer parents?"

Lucille had scooped a generous amount of chicken and dumplings into the saucer in front of Kelley before she filled her or Gunther's bowl. 

Kelley shot a glance at the old couple for a moment before she shook her head. "My parents were killed before I even made it to Hollinston. They were...um...Right before we got there, we were found by one of  _them_  and..." She paused and reached for a fork. "That was about seven years ago I guess." 

"I'm sorry," Lucille whispered. The older woman sniffled and dabbed her eyes with her apron. "It's never easy, hearin' all these sad stories when folks pass by. We ain't no strangers to losin' loved ones either, dear." She reached over the table and placed her right hand over Gunther's, squeezing it. 

"Back in '77 our son married his fiance of years. They had a beautiful little girl, Aggie," Gunther explained quietly. "Aggie was only seven when those demons attacked our planet. She and her parents were drivin' up here, but...they never made it."

"Those monsters took my children and our granbaby," Lucille said, voice shaking. 

"I'm sorry," Kelley whispered and took a small bite of some chicken. "This is really good, ma'am."

"Thank ya, dear," Lucille replied, wiping her eyes with her apron. 

"If ya want," Gunther said softly, "we got a shower back behind the barn. It's heated by a fire pit. More than welcome to wash yerself up if ya want."

Kelley took another bite of the food. A shower did sound nice...She couldn't even remember the last time she had one. Not even Hollinston had real showers. Most had to bathe with buckets of water. 

"It'd be nice," Kelley replied honestly. 

Gunther nodded and ate his own food quietly. 

"Normally, we say grace before we eat," Lucille murmured, "but most don't take kindly to that these days. They wanna blame God for all this."

Kelley's eyes darted away in a guilty manner. "Sorry. I should have asked."

"Aww, no. You're fine, dear," Lucille said. "It's been like this for a while. We still pray before we sleep and when we wake up, so we're satisfied. People are jus' scared." 

Kelley nodded stiffly in agreement. 

The rest of the dinner was quiet. The three humans didn't say a word and the only source of noise was silverware clanking against ceramic bowls. Kelley hadn't realized how hungry she was and wanted to chomp down the food in seconds, but she restrained herself from eating like an animal. 

"Thank you for that," Kelley said after her bowl was empty and slid it away. "I think I'll take you up on that offer for a shower. 

Gunther flicked his thumb over his shoulder to the kitchen door. "Go out around the back, pass by the chicken coop and ya'll see the shower box. There's a box of matches in a little compartment by the wood. Just use one and light the wood. And to make the water go, ya just pull the lever inside."

"I'll get ya a towel," Lucille said as she stood up and darted out of the kitchen.

Kelley slowly pushed herself up from a chair. It was amazing how much better she felt after one small meal. She perked up as Lucille came back into the question and held out a bundle in her arms. "Here's a towel, some shampoo and soap. You look like my daughter-in-law's size, so I grabbed a few outfits maybe you could wear."

Kelley blinked and hesitantly accepted the offer, struggling to hold them against her chest. "Ah...T-thank you."

She slinked out of the kitchen, feeling odd thinking about their kindness. Kelley glanced over her shoulder and around several times as she rushed forward. 

"Pssst," she hissed against Kaltor. "Guys? You still with me?" 

"Kelley?" Roadfire was the first to respond. "What's wrong? What is taking you so long?"

"I'm fine. Everything's fine. I'm still trying to get directions, so hold on for a little while."

"I don't wish to rush you, but..."

"I know, I know," Kelley whispered. "Just be patient. I mean, Earth's had to wait YEARS for you, in-case you forgot." 

Roadfire didn't reply, so Kelley cracked a smile in victory. She almost marched happily, but a distinct smell caught her attention. There was the coop Gunther had mentioned. It was gated off with chicken wire and several chickens were clucking at her. Kelley paused and hesitantly approached, unsure of what to make of the large birds. Chickens...weren't dangerous, right?

She never really had the opportunity to see one in person. 

Kelley kneeled down by the fence and watched as the chickens strode by eagerly, making strange twitches as they moved. She clicked her tongue and stuck a finger between an opening, looking to touch the closest brown hen. 

But, the chickens all tilted their heads and before she knew it, several rushed forward at pecked at her finger.

Kelley yelped and flinched away. She stood up and scrambled away from the demon chickens, continuing her walk to the shower. 

"Stupid birds," she muttered. 

Just as Gunther instructed, Kelley found the shower encased by a privacy gate. In the center of the tall wood was a wooden rectangle, just big enough for a person to stand in. Kelley approached it, stepping inside to search for the compartment the farmer had mentioned. She placed the pile of clothes on top of the boxed stove contraption and slid the drawer open. Inside was a small box of matches, just like Gunther had mentioned.

Kelley glanced at the box in consideration before she carefully pushed the box out of its case. It was only about a third full of matches; it made Kelley feel kind of guilty about using one. If only she had some to give to the old couple. 

She then kneeled down and pulled open the stove door by its knob. Inside were some logs and very dry looking paper and hay. She slowly struck a match, taking several swipes before the small stick caught on fire, and tossed it inside. Kelley blew into the small ember, trying to give life. 

Seconds passed, but the fire eventually caught and grew larger and larger. Smoke poured out from the stove and Kelley backed away, watching. 

Satisfied that the fire wouldn't die out, Kelley glanced to her left arm. "Alright, I don't know if you'll short out or whatever if I get you wet, but I'm not taking that chance." 

_And I don't want a robot to see me naked anyway,_ Kelley added mentally.

Kaltor seemed to take the hint and unlatched the straps of his watch mode. He waited until Kelley placed him on top of the clothes pile to revert back and he gave her a short salute before turning his back. Considerate, to say the least. 

"Just start...beeping like an alarm clock if someone comes, ok?" she instructed as she shut the privacy gate closed. Quickly, Kelley undressed herself, hanged the towel over the shower's door and stepped inside with the shampoo and soap Lucille handed to her. 

Inside the shower, it was a very simple set up: there was a metal lever and the end of a tube that resembled a drain pipe. Kelley pulled the level for a split-second, to test how much water poured out at once. The water poured down like heavy rainfall, but all that mattered to Kelley was she had the chance to take a shower for the first time in forever. 

Eagerly, she stepped under the warm water.


	9. I Love a Rainy Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, I love a rainy night; it's such a beautiful sight. I love to feel the rain on my face; taste the rain on my lips, in the moonlight shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Groon = 1 hour.  
> Stellar Cycle = 7.5 months.
> 
> Will the plot ever go on? Who knows. ;D

>    **I Love A Rainy Night: Eddie Rabbitt -- 1975**

Kelley didn't realize how much she missed using warm baths and showers; being able to clean off was the best feeling she experienced in a very long time. Having access to such a envied resource was extremely rare and Kelley almost wished she could stay there--just because of the shower. She could feel years of dirt and blood peel away, flowing off with the falling spray of water.

She walked back to the farm house, changed into the shirt Lucille gave her. It had a soft, cottony texture and was mainly black with a white floral print subtly wrapped around the sleeves; it almost reminded her of the shirts her mother use to wear. The pants weren't long enough for her liking, but she couldn't complain. Her hair was wrapped in the towel. Kaltor was back on her left wrist. 

Kelley glared at the chicken coop as she walked back, feeling suspicious of the strange birds now. However, Kelley quickly became distracted by a familiar figure standing in the distance. She was surprised to see Gunther outside, leaning against a wooden fence post and gazing at a desolate field full of cracked dirt and withered plants. His arms hanged over the bar and his expression unreadable. She silently walked over to the older man and watched him as she got closer.

"Thank you. For the shower," Kelley murmured as she stood a few feet away, gesturing to the wooden stand's direction.

Gunther glanced back momentarily to acknowledge her and nodded quietly. "Believe it or not, we used ta have more food. But that was when my sprinklers still worked. Don't have the metal to repair the rusted parts and not enough man power to get it all watered everyday."

Kelley frowned and nodded in sympathy. "You're both very kind sharing what you have."

"Ain't nothin' to do with kindness," Gunther replied. "My Pa taught me to treat others with decency, and his Pa the same. It's the way we all need ta act."

"Yeah...It'd be nice," Kelley whispered.

"Yer headin' out then?" Gunther asked.

Kelley nodded slowly. "As soon as you point me in the right direction." 

Gunther paused and was now staring Kelley down hard again; in a similar manner as he first did when she approached their doorstep. "Ya know...Me and the missus were talkin'. We ain't got much, but it's a safe life here. There ain't no need to head out all on yer lonesome."

Kelley blinked in surprise and looked away. This had to be most incredible place she'd seen since the invasion ruined the planet and maybe...maybe if she were on her own, Kelley might've accepted the offer. "That's really generous of you, Gunther. I...I just..." Kelley sighed long-fully and closed her eyes. 

"I hear ya. I ain't gonna stop ya neither," Gunther said. "But, wouldn't of felt right if I didn't throw the offer out."

"Yeah..." Kelley continued frowning. "Thank you for understanding," she added and pulled away. 

"Well, let's get on back inside. I'll give ya the directions," Gunther suggested and began to trot back to the farm house. 

Kelley followed after him quietly, aside from the crunch of grass under her boots. 

In their house, Lucille was sitting on one of the armchairs when Kelley and Gunther walked through the kitchen. The old lady pushed herself up with a soft grunt and smiled at Kelley. 

"Gimme a moment to look fer some scrap paper. I'll write down the directions fer ya." 

Lucille looked upset by Gunther's words and watched as her husband disappeared from the room and traveled up the wooden staircase. "I s'pose my dear Gunther mentioned how we'd like ya to stay?" she asked and glanced over to Kelley.

"Yes..." Kelley nodded and fidgeted with her fingers. "I'd love to...but I just have things that I need to take care of." 

Lucille sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I s'pose I can understand why some folks are made and blame these horrible things on the Lord. A young girl like ya shouldn't be travelin' all alone without her parents and carryin' guns too..."

Kelley watched as the woman hid a soft sob into her apron cloth. "You guys did a lot for me and I'm really thankful for that. Not many these days would just offer any random person at their door food and a nice shower." 

Lucille continued sniffling and nodded. "It's a shame. Back in our days, everyone treated everyone like a friend. Ever since those metal demons came here...everyone distrusts each other." She walked over to Kelley and wrapped her arms over her shoulder, pulling Kelley into a gentle hug. "We'll both be prayin' fer ya, dear."

Kelley felt tears gathering her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered helplessly. 

She led Kelley through the doorway, back onto their wooden porch. Kelley wiped her eyes, quickly spotting Ironhide--still parked in the same spot, thankfully--waiting on the gravel. She could only imagine how quickly they would, understandably, despise Kelley if they knew one of the "metal demons" was right in front of their noses. 

"We also got a few things fer ya," Lucille announced as she leaned over and picked up a cardboard box. She shoved it into Kelley's arms and smiled with a sad glint in her eyes. "A few jars of preserved fruit, some homemade and canned chicken soup and chicken 'n dumplin's. Even some apples from our trees."

"Ah, gosh. You...didn't have to," Kelley whispered and stared into the box. It felt she had been handed a box full of riches and instantly hugged the box tightly.

"Also tossed in a few magazines fer readin'. But it's mainly...farmin' and flower growin'. Though, there was one or two about actors from our time."

"Thank you," Kelley repeated and wiped her eyes. 

"Please, stay safe, dear. It's...The door's always open and our offer is still standin' if ya change yer mind in a couples months or anythin'." Lucille was gazing at the ground.

Kelley opened her mouth again, but a strange and distinct hissing caught her attention. The two women glanced to the nearby field, the very same one Kelley and Gunther had been looking at, and they watched as several streams of water flew through the air. Lucille gasped loud and hard into her hand and she quickly clasped her fingers together. 

"G-Gunther! The sprinklers!" she cried out and quickly jogged over her yard to get a better look. 

Kelley stepped back when Gunther appeared in his doorway. As the pair gazed at the flowing water, she turned to Ironhide and approached the vehicle, loading the box of supplies into his backseat. 

"Just a little longer," she whispered and pulled back. 

Kelley crossed her arms and silently followed after the old couple, smiling at their reactions.

"We can start growin' corn again, Gunther," Lucille murmured, clinging to her husband's right arm.

"Praise our Lord," Gunther breathed out. "I don't know how those pipes are workin' while they're so rusty, but He does work in wonderous ways..."

"That's great," Kelley said and smiled at them both. "You really deserve something like this."

Gunther turned back and held out a tiny notebook of paper. She flipped over the top and stared down at the directions. 

"Since signs are mostly gone now, you gotta pay real close attention," Gunther explained. "You'll probably be traveling--say--nearly three hundred miles?" 

Kelley read and reread the directions, stopping on the end destination's bolden name. "Harvold? That's the settlement?"

Gunther nodded. "Biggest darn place ya'll probably find in the northern territories. Haven't heard from it in a few months, but word woulda got here by now if anythin' happened to it. Word always does. Actually...Lucille, go fetch a blanket too. She'll need it."

"It's cold there?" Kelley asked. 

"Yes it is. Practically snowin' all year round. Not even Hell on Earth is gonna change that."

Kelley nodded and watched as Lucille retreated back into their house for a moment, only to reemerge with a thick and warm looking quilt bundled in her arms. 

"You really don't have to," Kelley tried to object. They had already done so much... It felt so strange meeting generous people like the old pair.

"Nonsense, dear," Lucille quickly interrupted and placed the quilt through Ironhide's still open door. "Just take care."

Kelley nodded, clutching the notepad to her chest. "Thank you both again." 

She wanted to give them both each a great big hug, but fought against that instinct. It'd just make her want to stay all the more, especially with how much they felt like her grandparents. It'd hurt less that way.

They were watching her closely while she pretended to open Ironhide's driver's door. She slid in the car without a word, sighing sadly. 

"Hey, Kelley," Gunther spoke up. "If ya happen to run into a man named Fujiyama, Kaito Fujiyama, up there say hello to 'im. He's a smart fellow. He helped me get that shower that ya used built."

Kelley nodded and waved them both a goodbye. 

She reached beside the steering wheel and pretended to be turning a key, while giving the inside of Ironhide's console a tap as a signal. Luckily, the Autobot got the hint and quickly started his engines. Kelley gave them one last look before turning to watch over her shoulder as she and Ironhide backed away.

Tears took her by surprise as Ironhide pulled farther and farther back. She wiped at her eyes as Ironhide carefully navigated his way off the gravel road and drove back onto concrete pavement. Kelley sniffled and turned in her seat to watch the disappearing form of their farmhouse. She reflected on a life she could have there, waking up every day with a new purpose: take care of the demon chickens or water the growing plants, listening to Gunther and Lucile discuss their pre-invasion lives.

"Sorry," she eventually muttered, feeling too hesitant to speak to the Autobots until she was sure they were at least a few miles away. "I didn't mean to get so caught up with things. But, I guess that's human nature for you. Heh."

"Kelley?" Roadfire's voice came through the channel. "You could have refused to return and stayed with the other humans."

The young human shrugged and glanced out the window. "I guess, but I already said I'd bring you sorry lot to a settlement. I'm not a liar or break my word," she replied quietly, trying to downplay her actions as not being a big deal. Even though she really wanted to stay there. It had been extremely tempting. 

"Regardless of how you see it," Roadfire replied, "thank you."

Kelley glanced down and shrugged again. "That reminds me. How interesting the sprinklers came on all of a sudden," she murmured with a grin. "From the way Gunther was talking, they haven't been working for a while now."

"Yeah, talk about strange," Mudslinger spoke up casually. 

"So, who fixed it?" Kelley asked suddenly. 

"Why, Kelley," Crosscut began with an innocent tone, "we did just as you said. We certainly did not budge from the position you left us in."

"Uh huh," Kelley shot back. "And Santa Claus is holed up in the North Pole waiting for rescue."

 

* * *

 

:: _Sheesh!_ : Mudslinger spoke up after the human had fallen into another temporary stasis and didn't respond to any of them. :: _Humans need to rest a lot, don't they?_ ::

:: _Humans, require energy from sustenance. Cannot function on solar energy_.:: Rest-Q's voice was just as quick and just as nonsensical as his normal form of speaking. 

:: _I think if any of us were in the same position, we'd be just as tired,_ :: Roadfire mentioned as he followed behind the other vehicles.

:: _I'm glad you all are enjoying this huge waste of fraggin' time,_ :: Kick-Off snapped, finally speaking for the first time in a couple groons. 

:: _Ah. Kick-Off. You didn't get lost after all,_ :: Crosscut replied. :: _Here I was thinking you did because of how quiet it's been._ ::

:: _How do we even know the human is trustworthy?_ :: the Autobot snapped, ignoring Crosscut. :: _She could be leading us into a trap and you all are making friends._ ::

:: _Enough!_ :: Roadfire quickly snapped. :: _If the reports are true...The humans have plenty of reason to despise our kind. I just never imagined how badly the Decepticons would treat this planet and its inhabitants. Kelley did not have to return after visiting those other humans. You all heard it yourselves._ ::

There was a quiet murmur of agreement, aside from Kick-Off. The sports car broke free from the line of Autobots, revved his engine testingly, and took off at a higher speed. He said nothing as he left a trail of dust in his wake.

:: _Kick-Off, stay within contact!_ :: Roadfire called out to his teammate, knowing that he wouldn't get a response. 

:: _Um, Roadfire, sir?_ :: Cosmos' voice squeaked meekly on his end.

:: _Yes, Cosmos? What's wrong?_ ::

:: _I have detected a strange distress signal! It is similar to the one we discovered and lead us to Kelleee. Should we investigate it?_ ::

Roadfire considered their options. :: _How old is the signal and how far away?_ ::

:: _Studying it now, sir...It is just over a stellar cycle old! And it is within fifteen miles of your current position if you continue north._ ::

Roadfire considered the information. It was entirely possible it was a trap set up by the Decepticons to lure humans out of hiding. But, judging by the timing, it had been set before the Autobots arrived on the planet. So, even if it was a Decepticon trap, there was a chance they wouldn't be expecting the Autobots arrival. At the very least, they would only have Vehicons to deal with.

:: _We should wake up Kelley then,_ :: Crosscut suggested. 

:: _I ain't doin' it this time!_ :: Ironhide said quickly. :: _The human looked like she wanted to shoot my optics out fer it_.::

Roadfire sighed. :: _Alright. Let's pull over team._ ::

Ironhide was wise in his decision. After the Autobots came to a halt and Mudslinger cautiously walked over the still-transformed Ironhide, the younger mech kneeled down to poke at Kelley's recharging form. Almost immediately after, Kelley shrieked and tried to punch and kick the mech's finger away. 

"I told you not to do that!" the human yelled.

"Hey, it's not like we're Decepticons!" Mudslinger snapped back. "We needed you to wake up. It's not my fault you humans have to recharge frequently."

"What am I supposed to think when I wake up to giant HANDS poking me?" Kelley questioned and shoved Mudslinger's finger away as she stepped out of Ironhide. "What is it?"

Roadfire stepped forward and gazed down at the aggravated human. "Cosmos detected a distress signal not too far away. We wanted to hear your opinion on whether stopping to check it over would be a wise thing to do."

Kelley sighed deeply, rubbed her face, and glanced up at the sky. "It couldn't hurt I guess. But the sun's going to be down within like...an hour tops. And what if it's a trap?"

"The possibility has crossed our minds," Crosscut explained as he rested his servos against his hip joints. 

"Hmm." Kelley tapped her chin in thought. "Well, we need to figure out what to do about cars magically driving themselves. Can you all tint your windows?"

Roadfire blinked and folded his arms against his chest. "...We didn't consider that."

"Yeah," she agreed and nodded her head. "With me, I can at least to pretend to drive one of you guys, but everyone will instantly know you all are Decepticons if they see cars driving by themselves--I know you aren't, but they won't know that. They'll shoot first and ask questions later."

"Suggestion." Rest-Q spoke up and walked over to Crosscut's side. "Holomatters. Avatars. Disguise nature."

"What's a...holomatter?" Kelley asked, sounding concerned.

"We are equipped with technology that allow us to scan and project images--" Crosscut began, but he was quickly cut off by Mudslinger.

"What the boring 'bot is trying to say that we can display fake humans and use them to pretend we're being driven!" Mudslinger finished with a grin. "So. The humans shouldn't shoot at us, right?"

"That...does work," Kelley responded, but her expression was perplexed and her voice sounded skeptical. "But, how do you just create a fake human out of thin air?"

"Ideally, we would need to scan a human for reference," Roadfire explained. "But you are the only human we've come across."

Kelley quickly shook her head. "No. They can't look like me. That'd be just as suspicious. Wait!" In a flash, the human disappeared into the back of Ironhide's vehicle form. She dug through the supplies the other humans had given to her, muttering in quiet hisses. "AHA!" 

The young human pulled back out, clutching a thin paper booklet in her tiny hands. "The magazines Lucille gave me! Perfect." Quietly, Kelley flipped the pages quickly and made a soft grunt. "I didn't realize how...old these are. The pictures are black and white!" She flipped through the pages and stopped again. 

"Uhhh. Alright. Mudslinger, you can scan this one," she directed and held out a picture of a younger looking human. 

Mudslinger pouted and rolled his optics. "That human looks puny!" 

Kelley narrowed her eyes. "Scan it, you big baby."

Mudslinger rolled his optics and crossed his arms as he did just that. The pout never left his face as he activated it. The holoform displayed itself by Kelley and was shorter compared to her by several inches. 

"Now you get to look like the child you really are inside," Kelley murmured and teasingly patted the holoform's head. "Well, I mean you look old enough to be driving. Barely. Alright. Uhhh, Crosscut. Let's see." She continued flipping through the pages. "Errm. Are you all ok if I picked out pictures of women too?"

Roadfire glanced to the others before they unanimously shook their helms. "There is no preference. Whatever you think will help us blend in."

"Alright then," Kelley glanced back down to the pages. "Crosscut...you get to pretend to be Marilyn Monroe. I mean...you said you were a rich robot once, right?"

Crosscut waived his servo. "It seems like a life time ago, but I was once of the Towers, as I mentioned." 

Kelley turned the magazine up to him, displaying a picture of a human female wearing a large straw helm covering and bulky layering of clothing. 

Crosscut scanned the picture and activated his as well. In mere moments, another holoform appeared beside Mudslinger's, both were distracted with examining their new forms. Kelley walked by them and stood in front of Irondhide's bumper. 

"Alright...uh...Ironhide. You can scan this guy. His name's James Dean?" Kelley blinked. "Never heard of 'im." She held the magazine out to the vehicle and waited. 

Lights flashed from Ironhide's headlights and just as quickly another holoform joined the growing group. Ironhide's was an older male, taller than Mudslinger's. 

"Weird..." Kelley murmured as she stared at the holomatters for a short time until she stared back into the magazine. "Let's see...Hmmm. Rest-Q, you need one...Wow. They posted a picture together? Alright, scan this guy. His name was Arthur Miller. You scream a glasses type honestly."

The medic obeyed as well and scanned the picture of the next human male and another holomatter form appeared by the others. It was just as tall as Ironhide's, but the main difference was the presence of strange circular rims around the eyes. It twitched and flicked its arms up and down, and moved in an uncomfortable manner. 

"Hyper-stimulation," Rest-Q's voice complained. "Strange. Strange."

Kelley approached the group and pressed a hand to her mouth before she snickered. "Um. You all forgot one tiny detail, by the way."

The Autobot holomatters glanced around with very expressive and confused smiles on their faces--a sign that they were still experimenting with the settings for their expressions. 

"You are missing some...color?" Kelley suggested in a very obvious tone. "Humans aren't literally black and white like the photos. These were taken before we were able to develop pictures in color."

Technically, she was right. Roadfire glanced to the dull grey group of 'humans' and then to Kelley, comparing the color in the human's skill and outer layer of protection fabric. She sighed and reached into a subspace pocket, pulling out a thin piece of some kind of paper. 

"Like...my parents. They had different skin colors," she explained and held it out for Roadfire to closely examine. 

"I see." Roadfire nodded and quickly scanned the image of the male in Kelley's picture. He activated his holoform without a word. He understand Rest-Q's words well, considering it was jarring as he jumped from his own vision to the projected one's. How different everything looked at the new height. How strange the sensations were, even though it was technically just holomatter display. 

"What are you doing?!" Kelley demanded, causing Roadfire to jump in surprise. "You can't use that! T-turn it off!"

Roadfire jerked back and quickly deactivated the holomatter.

"You can't use my dad's image!" the human snapped, stomping a foot down. "What's wrong with you?!"

Roadfire frowned and glanced away with a guilty feeling looming over his spark. "I apologize. I didn't intend to upset you." 

Kelley looked like she was going to scream or leak from her eyes again, but inhaled silently instead. "It's fine. Let's just wrap this up and get a move on."

Thanks to the human's guidance, the Autobots eventually settled on 'normal' looking colors for their holomatter. Mudslinger's temporary skin was a paler white, with brown protein strands--or hair Roadfire quickly learned it was called--and blue eyes. Ironhide's skin was changed into a darker tone with tiny speckles scattered across them and his hair was recolored to black. Rest-Q's holomatter was given a similarly pale skin as Mudslinger's, but the hair was given a dark 'auburn' color, as Kelley described it. Finally, Crosscut's holoform adopted a nearly same light shade of brown as Kelley's skin, with dark brown hair and eyes.

Roadfire...Roadfire decided to hold on on choosing a holoform for the moment. The inside of his alt. mode wasn't visible to prying eyes, so the humans wouldn't have a clue. 

"Oh my god," Kelley said and made an upset sound. 

"What's wrong?" Crosscut asked after dismissing his holoform for the time. 

"I have to think of names for you all!" she cried and slapped a hand to her face. "This is turning into one big chore for me!"

Roadfire watched, raising an optic brow as the human climbed back into Ironhide's vehicle mode, mumbling to herself. 

"Autobots, let's roll out!" the leader commanded after giving Kelley time to get situated in the vehicle. Roadfire fidgeted in slight embarrassment when the team merely groaned in response and he glanced around. "...What?"

"Save the rollin' fer Prime," Ironhide replied with a snarky chuckle. 

The Autobot leader watched the team drive ahead of him until he reverted back into his tank mode. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise Kelley sketches!  
> http://i.imgur.com/c7w6NrU.png  
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/214505723944632320/220646720000884736/secret.png


	10. You're Only Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're only human. You're allowed to make your share of mistakes. You better believe there will be times in your life,  
> when you'll be feeling like a stumbling fool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeey there. Long time no update. Ahahaha....Sorry about that. ;w; I've been so busy with life...and work....and...overwatch.....UM. ANYWAY.
> 
>    
>  **WARNING: This chapter contains a depiction of a suicide, so please bear it in mind if this kind of material upsets you.**
> 
> I've been hesitant to post this chapter for that exact reason, but I'm not using it to be all 'edgy' for this fic. Anyway, Happy Early Thanksgiving and all that fun holiday stuff? Kudos and comments are love o/

> **You're Only Human: Billy Joel -- 1985**

 

Kelley had been staring at the photograph of her and her parents in silence while the Autobots resumed driving, occasionally looking out at the abandoned roads. She wasn't sure what to expect with the distress signal. It could be a trap; it could be a trap set up by the Decepticons. It could even be one set up by other humans, hoping to lure Decepticons out and ambush them.  _I just want the rest of the trip to be calm_ , she thought with a frown and sighed. 

She glanced up to the sky, taking note of how the sun was slowly lowering to the opposite side of the horizon now. She wanted to drive as long as the sun was up, but she agreed with the Autobots. Perhaps it'd be worth the risk to investigate the distress beacon coming from the city and pause from their driving.

As Kelley relaxed against Ironhide's car seat, Kaltor made a loud beep and suddenly unlatched himself. The tiny robot climbed down her arm and sat on her knee, making several more beeps. He was staring up at Kelley's picture, she realized, when the small robot pointed to it quietly. Kelley shrugged and defensively tucked it back into her jacket pocket. 

"They were my parents," she muttered.

Kaltor made another soft, curious beep. 

"It doesn't matter," she whispered and glanced to the window. "It won't help talking about it."

"You...mentioned to those other humans," Mudslinger spoke up hesitantly. "You said one of the Decepticons...err...killed your parents?" 

Kelley's eyes narrowed and she cast her gaze out to the open fields they were driving by. "It doesn't matter," she repeated with a scowl. "Can we just drop it?"

"I believe what my team is trying to say," Roadfire explained, "is that they do not want you to be drastic if you recognize the Decepticon. We will do everything in our power to protect you from them as well. I'm asking you, Kelley. No more missiles, alright?"

Kelley rolled her eyes. "If you all think I'm just gonna sit and hide, you're dumb. But...fine! I won't use a missile," she snapped. She glanced down to Kaltor and stared him down quietly. The poor watch robot just looked confused. "Anyway! We need to fix how you all get me up. I'm tired of waking up to what I think are Decepticons looming over me."

Kaltor produced several beeps before a sharper one followed. It almost sounded like a distant cousin of air horn screaming and it nearly made Kelley jump. 

"Alright, alright! You got the job!" Kelley grumbled and tried to suffocate the noise with her other hand. "Make sure you all take note."

"We'll be approaching the signal soon," Cosmos' voice came through the Autobot's communication link. "I will perform the initial sweep to determine if hostiles are present or not." 

"Do so," Roadfire replied. 

"Yes, sir!"

Kelley eyes darted to the horizon on the road. She spotted a very familiar form lounging on top of old railing along the road. She snorted and rolled her eyes as they drove closer, now that she got a better look at the large robot in the distance. "Pfft. I was wondering where Mister Sunshine went off to!"

"He might act like a bit of a scraplet, but not like that fool would ruin our mission," Ironhide replied with a slow drawl. 

"What's wrong with him, anyway?" Kelley asked and crossed her arms together.

"It's a very long story," Ironhide said quickly. "We ain't got time fer it. Plus...I ain't Kup. I don't do no story tellin'."

Kelley merely snorted. "Come on! If he's gonna be an asshole, can I at least know why? I won't judge...as badly."

"It's complicated, Kelley," Roadfire added. "Perhaps he will be the one to tell you if he wishes it." 

"Yeah, right!" she said with a disappointed groan. "Are we almost there?" Kelley then asked, changing the subject.

"A few miles," Crosscut answered her. 

"Let me go in and explore for a few minutes," Kelley explained. "If I run into any humans, I want to meet them again first. Alright? We need to take this slow."

"You have Kaltor with you," Roadfire brought up, but he didn't argue against her suggestion. 

"Yep!" Kelley said. 

Finally, Ironhide pulled up by Kick-Off, Kelley all but jumped out onto the road. "Ahhh, it feels awesome to get to stretch out!" she exclaimed and grabbed her Winchester from the Autobot's backseat. "Just stay put guys, I won't be long."

"You probably don't want to go that way," Kick-Off snapped. He pushed up from the railing he reclined against and stared down at the human. "Just saying."

"Nice to see you again too," she muttered. 

The Autobot made no move to stop Kelley however, despite his words, and he watched as she rushed by him. She ignored him and continued walking up the road. The slow incline of the hill made her huff as she walked en route to the demolished city in the distance, but when she reached the top, Kelley paused. She froze in horror and a gasp of surprise was caught in her throat. 

She almost dropped her shotgun as she stumbled down the hill and approached closer. She...had to be sure. Her hands were shaking as her fingers dug into her weapon. 

Placed on the center of the road leading from the highway into the city was a large mass. Kelley saw burnt limbs sticking out at every angle. She saw human heads; some attached to bodies, some not. When she reached a closer distance, Kelley nearly threw up from the awful smell. Flesh roasted by still burning flames. 

She came to a halt several feet away from the pile and fell to her knees, gagging and reeling in disgust. 

"What...the hell...?" Kelley whispered, still feeling a mixture of disgust and disbelief. "They've never done this before..."

She heard the quickly approaching thumps of each Autobot's footsteps. She made several more wretching sounds and looked up at Roadfire. 

"This is a typical Decepticon tactic," Crosscut answered and glanced down.

None of the Autobots could bring themselves to look at the burning pile. 

"Warning," Rest-Q explained, fidgeting with his fingers again. "Decepticons aware of presence. Wish to send warning." 

Kelley got to her feet and looked towards the city, past the mass of human decay and forms. "I...I need to go see if anyone's alive!"

"Don't be ridiculous! No one survived this!" Mudslinger retorted and frowned at her.

Kelley didn't hear him as she scrambled to make sure the Winchester was still loaded. Without another word, the young woman took off at a dash and left the Autobots standing in a concerned group. Their voices soon became distant echoes as she ran farther and farther away. 

"Please...please, please!" Kelley begged as she jogged on the street, jumping over a few large rocks and stepping over broken metal and glass and concrete. "Anyone! Hello?!"

She came to a halt at a four by four crosswalk, glancing around frantically. The city looked just as desolate and dead as Hollinston was. It was too quiet, aside from the crackles of the flames left over in the city--the only trace and signs that humans had been staying there. There were half broken barricades scattered all around the city and she saw more and more dead bodies the more she ran. 

"Kelley, this is dangerous!" Roadfire barked through his end via Kaltor. 

Kelley ignored him and ran into the nearest building when she heard the sound of glass breaking. 

She lingered in the doorway and peered inside into the dimly lit area. "Hello? I'm a person...Please. I'm not one of them," she whispered and stepped inside. 

She saw movement and readied her shotgun. 

Kelley paused when she spotted a small girl, clutching a teddy bear missing its arm. The girl had blonde hair, dirty and unkempt, and her eyes were red and puffy. She gazed at Kelley, sniffling, and froze. Kelley felt a lump gathering in her throat again and she lowered her shotgun, pointing it to the ground. 

She took a few steps forward, but just as quickly, another form appeared beside the girl. After a few seconds of watching, Kelley realized it was an older boy, just as blonde as the girl, clutching her to his side. He only looked around ten years old at the most. 

"Robin!" the boy hissed and tugged the girl's arm. "Why did you run out?!" 

The boy's blue eyes regarded Kelley with a distrustful glare and he forced the girl to step back with him. 

Kelley sighed in relief at the sight of two other living humans. "It's alright. I won't hurt either of you. My name's Kelley," she explained and stepped closer, trying to appear as harmless as possible. 

"My parents told me to never trust strangers," the boy said, still backing up. "Go away." 

"I wouldn't feel right leaving you two," Kelley replied and held out a hand. "Why don't you come with me? It's not safe." 

"We can't!" the boy growled and picked up a large rock, holding it defensively as Kelley continued approaching. "We have to wait for our Dad. He said he wanted to sleep for a while!" he continued on, pointing to a nearby door. 

The little girl, no older than five or six, continued sniffing and rubbed her eyes. "Daddy's been sleeping all day."

Kelley's eyes swept over the two children and then to the door they mentioned. She approached it carefully and knocked a few times. "Hello?" 

There was no response and the children continued to stare at her with wary and tired expressions. Kelley glanced at them again before reaching for the door knob. She cracked the door open, anxiety growing with each movement, and she peaked inside. 

She saw it--saw him--and immediately slammed the door shut. There was an adult male sprawled out on the floor. Blonde, just like the children. He was propped against the wall, eyes dark and lifeless. Laying on the ground a few inches from his hand was a pistol and there was a visible bloody mess against his temples. Dried blood had splattered on the wall behind him.

Kelley felt the life drain from her body as she turned around and gazed back at the two children. "You two haven't looked in here, have you?"

The quietly shook their heads.

"Is Daddy ok?" the girl asked in a meek tone, voice slightly cracking. "There was a loud bang...but...it was loud when the robots attacked..."

Kelley cleared her throat. "Um...Your dad needs to sleep for a long time. Are you two hungry?" she asked, trying to switch topics as smoothly as possible.

The girl nodded weakly but the older boy glared at Kelley and held his sister's hand tightly.

"I have some apples and some chicken if you like that," Kelley continued, trying to keep her composure. "Why don't you both come with me, ok?" 

"I'm hungry, Jed," the girl complained quietly and buried her face into her teddy bear. 

"Robin? Jed?" Kelley asked with a soft smile. "Are those your names?"

"What's yours?" the boy asked with a suspicious tone, still glaring at Kelley. 

"Kelley," she replied with an even tone and continued watching the pair. "Remember? I mentioned it a few minutes."

Jed was dressed in a large shirt, one that fell past his waist and reached his thighs. His shorts were so big and baggy, they almost resembled pants instead. He had no socks on and wore dirty and worn sneakers. Dirt and bruises covered his skin and there were dark circles under his eyes. 

His sister looked in just as bad as shape. She wore an oversized shirt, one so long it resembled a dress on her small body. She had tiny black slip-on shoes. Her skin was just as dirty and bruised. She looked...scared. Frightened. Confused. 

But neither of them trusted her; she could tell by the way they refused to step closer. 

"I know it's scary, but I have a lot of friends who can help. They're good. And like I said, there's food," Kelley added, taking another step closer. "Why don't we let your dad sleep in peace, alright?" 

Robin slowly walked forward, pulling away from her brother. She gazed up at Kelley with a frown and squeezed her teddy bear in a tight hug. "Can I have some food, please?"

Kelley nodded and looked past the girl, to Jed. "What about you? You look hungry too," she said. 

Jed still looked suspicious, but when a sudden howl of hunger erupted from his stomach, he stared at the ground and nodded, seeming to swallow his pride. 

"Let's go meet my friends, ok?" Kelley suggested with a gentle tone waved them both closer. "Stay close to me, ok?"

Quietly, Robin walked up to her and held a hand up. Kelley blinked in surprise before she transferred her shotgun to her left hand and offered her free hand to the girl. Robin quickly wrapped her tiny fingers around Kelley's. 

As she waited for Jed to join them, Kelley lifted her arm up and quietly spoke into Kaltor's speaker. "Guys, I found some people. But I'm being entirely serious when I say to be on your best behavior. Alright?"

"Your watch is a walkie-talkie?" Jed asked, sounding more like a curious child instead of an angry adult for the first time.

"Something like that," Kelley said with a soft shrug and smiled. 

The walk back to the entrance of the city was quiet and not too eventful. The children didn't talk much, though Robin coughed a few times throughout the walk. Jed kept a few feet distance between them and Kelley as he followed behind. Kelley went out of the way to avoid the mass of humans she encountered at the beginning of the town. They walked out the city and into the local forest. 

She led them up a few grassy hills until she reached a familiar area. They were getting close to the area where the Autobots had stopped. 

Kelley sighed as she tried to imagine how the children would react to the Autobots. Children were...a factor of their own, in Kelley's opinion. More often than not, when they got scared, they screamed and cried--giving away their positions to any nearby Decepticons. It was one reason most people didn't have children; it's too much of a risk.

"Alright guys. Just stay calm, alright?" Kelley urged with a soft tone and glanced at the two. 

If only she knew, minutes later when they had reached the Autobots, the children would start scream and clinging against her backside, Kelley would have considered a change of tactics. The instant the two saw the looming Autobots, they screamed. Loud. High pitched. Kelley dragged a hand down her face and frowned. 

The Autobots looked confused and concerned about the two frightened humans, but none of them moved. A very wise decision. 

Even Kick-Off looked disturbed. 

"Hey, hey," Kelley quickly turned around and kneeled before the two, placing both hands on each child's shoulder. "I know they look scary, but they're good guys."

Her words didn't help. Robin and Jed only screamed and cried more. 

"Look! Look at me," she urged and kept a small smile on her face. "They're the good guys. I promise. I've been traveling with them for a couple days now. They even saved me from one of the bad robots." 

Jed paused, catching his breath and glaring up at the Autobots. "My dad said that some people are dumb enough to trust them and they try to trick people! And then they kill more!" the boy snapped. 

Kelley frowned. "Yeah, you're right. The bad ones do kill humans. But, they wouldn't have kept me alive this long. Not to trick me."

"Prove it," Jed snapped. He grabbed his sister by the shoulders and pulled her closer in a protective motion. 

The twenty-two-year-old stood up and rubbed her eyes. "Fine. I will." 

She dusted her knees up and glanced up at all the Autobots again. She centered in on Crosscut, due how calm the Autobot seemed compared to his teammates and she approached him casually. Robin and Jed watched her with frightened expressions, but they neither said nor took any actions to stop her. 

"This is Crosscut," Kelley explained as she gestured to the white and red Autobot. "I've sat in their hands before and I've been riding in their car modes. Decepticons wouldn't waste time with that." As she spoke, she waved Crosscut to lean closer and pointed to his hand.

Crosscut gave her a very confused stare, but still followed her directions. He slowly kneeled down and offered his hand out, laying it flat against the ground.  Kelley winced at the large hand and the uncomfortable memories it brought her--specifically with her own parents. She hesitantly stepped onto Crosscut's hand and glanced back over to the kids. She waved to both Robin and Jed before Crosscut pulled his hand up.

"Are all human offspring so frightened?" Crosscut asked softly as he brought Kelley closer to his face. 

She eyed Crosscut for a moment, taking note of the the robot's strange mouthplate. She finally got a better look at him, noticing how the car doors from his vehicle mode formed strange...fake wings against the backside of his shoulders.

"They're just scared. Don't move too much," Kelley murmured. When she turned back, she gazed down at the two children. She lifted her arm and waved to them again. "See? They're fine!"

Kelley felt her stomach clenching when she got a good look at the ground and realized just how high she was. 

"You can put me down now," she hissed and quickly slapped a hand to her mouth. "I don't like heights. Unless you want me to throw up on your hand!" 

"Do I want to know what...'throw up' is?" Crosscut asked quietly, his robot eyes flaring in alert.

"Remember about the babies?" Kelley snapped. "Well, throwing up is the opposite, where humans spit up things at the opposite end--urgh! Just. Put me down! I mean...unless you want a demonstration?!"

Crosscut shook his head and lowered his hands in a flash. Kelley scrambled back onto the ground with a relieved sigh. 

Kelley watched as the kids carefully approached her, still sending worried glances at all the robots. "No Decepticon would just let you stand on their hands, right?"

"I guess not," Jed said quietly. 

"Alright. I'll get the food. Stay put you two!" she said happily and walked over to Ironhide. She wasn't sure how he managed, but the box of supplies were now sitting on the ground by his feet.

"Wha'?" Ironhide said defensively when she raised an eyebrow at the robot. "I was needin' a stretch. Just 'cuz we can stay in our alt mode a while don't mean our frames agree with it!"

"Uh huh," Kelley said as she sat by the box and dug through the supplies. She grabbed two of the bunch of apples Lucille and Gunther had given her and picked up a jar of the chicken and dumplings. "Good thing we stopped by the farm after all..."

It was saddening to see how the two perked up at the sight of the food, almost looking like two hungry strays. Kelley had no idea how long it was since they ate.

"Here you two go," she murmured as she handed them each an apple and the jar to share. "But try not to eat too quick, alright? If you eat too fast you'll get bad stomach pains."

They nodded and eagerly took the offerings from Kelley. 

She smiled and watched the two wiped their apples on their clothes and quickly bit into their fruit. 

The young woman slowly turned away and quietly made her way to a private clearing just past the Autobots and the kids; not too far in case trouble reared its ugly head, but with enough distance so she had privacy. Kelley walked behind a large and thick tree and she slid to the ground. She wrapped her arms around her knees as tears formed in her eyes. Kelley rested her head against her arms. Sobs broke free from her mouth as she closed her eyes. 

She couldn't imagine how she would have reacted if her parents hadn't been killed, but instead died like Jed's and Robin's father. 

Minutes barely passed before a familiar voice came from above. "Kelley?"

She gasped and wiped her eyes. She hadn't even heard the Autobot's approach. "Yes, Roadfire?" 

"The other humans...I believe they had already been discovered before the Decepticons learned of our arrival. They only then killed the humans to send a message to us, as it was previously determined."

"But why wouldn't the Decepticons kill them sooner?" Kelley asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "Is this what they do on the other planets they've captured?"

Roadfire made a deep sigh. "In the beginning, yes it is. But reports always come in and soon enough, a majority of the organic population instead disappears. They aren't killed. They just vanish." 

"I see..." Kelley didn't feel like discussing the Decepticons at the moment. She wanted to forget, just for a short time, that her planet hadn't been invaded. "Roadfire? We have to take those two back to the farm. They'll be safe with Lucille and Gunther and there'd be plenty of food for them..."

Roadfire bowed his head in a guilty motion. "We can't afford the time to backtrack, Kelley. I'm sorry." 

Kelley quickly whipped her gaze up and scowled at Roadfire. "What? Why not?"

"The Decepticons are scouring the land in pursuit. If we turned back, we could encounter them. It would be more dangerous for the young humans if we did not bring them along."

As much as she hated to admit it, Kelley knew the Autobot leader was right. The last thing she wanted to happen was the two fliers to catch up to them and for the children to be harmed--or worse--as a result of the encounter.

"They're safer with us than with the humans we left," Roadfire added quietly.

Kelley merely wiped her eyes again. "I guess this dysfunctional little family is just growing and growing."


End file.
